For Love and Glory
by iheartgod175
Summary: A village fire case spirals out of control when the culprit is revealed to be someone Touché holds an intense grudge against. Following events bring tragic secrets to the forefront, and Touché must face his dark past if he wants to move on to a brighter future. A four-part Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum fic.
1. Chapter 1: Morning Shadow

**A/N:** Before I start, I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me this talent, as well as giving me a new year and a new start! In Jesus' name, Amen!

Happy New Year, everyone, and here's my first story of 2018: a monster of a one-shot retooled as a four-shot! Those of you know that I published this a while back, but I took it down for two reasons: 1. Nobody was reading it :( and 2. I decided to fix some things and break it into several chapters so that you guys aren't stuck reading everything for hours. And considering that the original clocked in at nearly 40 pages and over 18,000 words, I think this is for the best. Now that I'm going back and adding things, it's gone up to 43 pages and over 19,000 words. It wasn't even supposed to be so long, but things happened *shrugs*

I don't think I mentioned this on my profile, but I've been hit with nostalgia for some of the classic '60's Hanna-Barbera characters, namely Touché Turtle and Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har. Touché Turtle was one of my cartoon heroes when I was a kid, which is why Touché won out over Lippy and Hardy. This story was inspired by a comment on YouTube from a guy named thecoyotyl, who mentioned that they'd like to see a reboot explaining why Touché fights and how he became good friends with Dum-Dum; although that comment was met with a lot of negative reactions, I thought their idea was cool. So, here's my take on it.

I had to do some research on some medieval period eras as well as fencing so I could find out what Touché's weapon was called. And I spent countless hours (over the course of several days mind you) watching the cartoon to get a general idea of the setting. My research and understanding of the general setting led to a lot of interesting thoughts on the world that he lives in, and although the world isn't fully formed yet, I'm sure that will be a lot of detail in it. For those who are interested in what I have so far, there's a post I made on my blog regarding my headcanons for Touché Turtle. And like/reblog if you have an account 😊

Oh, and I hope you don't mind that I totally stole a lyric from the _DBZ Kai_ theme song for the title :D

I hope you like it!

* * *

 **Title:** For Love and Glory

 **Genre/Tags (major ones in bold):** Adventure/ **Hurt/Comfort/Tragedy/Angst/Friendship** / **Drama** /Family (sorta)

 **Rating: T** (for graphic violence, tragedy and dark themes; basically, the usual in my works)

 **Series:** _Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum_

 **Full Summary:** A case involving a village fire spirals out of control when the culprit is revealed to be someone Touché holds an intense grudge against. His appearance brings tragic secrets to the forefront, as well as a decade of shame and sorrow. With plans to permanently settle their grudge, Touché must face his dark past if he wants to move on to a brighter future. A four-part Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum fic. A four-part _Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum_ fic because I felt like it.

 **Disclaimer:** This is pretty much standard by now. Except for several more OCs, I own **none** of the characters involved. Warner Bros. made that very clear -_-

 **Terminology** :

Épée- The largest and heaviest of three weapons used in sport fencing.

* * *

 **For Love and Glory**

 **Part 1: Morning Shadow  
**

 _Touché Turtle's castle, somewhere in the French countryside..._

When Dum-Dum opened the windows, he was treated to a glorious morning sky, with the blue melding in with the gold of the sun. Purplish fog banks rolled along in the hills below, covering the village below, and in the distance he could see a small tower of smoke. Someone was up early burning something, he mused.

Either way, it was a marvelous sight. He sat there for a moment, hands in his chin as he admired the sunrise. "Boy, one advantage of livin' in a castle is bein' able to see sunrises like this," he murmured. "Too bad Touché's not up right now." A couple of times, whenever the turtle would wake up early, he'd take breakfast outside on the balcony, enjoying the fresh air and the sunrise.

The lavishly decorated stone keep, with its imposing height, great oak doors and impressive moat, was just one of many symbols to show off Touché's status as a renowned, respected hero. Inside, large camouflage banners displaying the turtle's coat of arms hung in the hallway, the many rooms were set with expensive, antique furniture, and in one room, there was a wall decorated with nearly one hundred medals from Touché's previous exploits, a few of which were military honors.

Dum-Dum remembered the time Touché had allowed a public tour of his castle. Everyone in the village below had come, and it had made national news. The tour only lasted a week, however, as someone had stolen two battle trophies from Touché's early days as a hero.

And then, there was the time when Dum-Dum had knocked down the medal collection in the hallway…

 _Time…_

The word running through his head, Dum-Dum quickly turned to face the grandfather clock in the hallway, which showed that it was seven in the morning. His eyes widened in shock. "Seven?! Aw, no, Touché's gonna oversleep at this rate!" he remarked. "I'd better wake 'im up!" He quickly made his way up the stairs, picking up his bugle that sat by the wall. Touché was more energetic than most turtles, but he was a heavy sleeper; Dum-Dum had learned the hard way that if left alone he'd sleep all day. "Luckily, I've got a way to wake him up."

He opened the large oak door to Touché's room. Compared to the rest of the castle, it was sparsely decorated, with a small drawer, a nightstand, a large portrait of himself above the nightstand, and a few small pictures. It didn't take him long to find Touché curled up in his shell, smack in the middle of the bed and on top of his pillow as always.

Dum-Dum looked at his horn and shrugged. "Eh, one long blast should do it." He put the horn to Touché's shell, took a deep breath and blew, long and loud.

The ensuing blast sent birds from the hills below squawking into the air-as well as Touché flying out of bed and hitting the wall. He quickly emerged from his shell, brown eyes the size of tacks. "Huh-wh-w-w-w-w-what?!" he stammered.

"Gooood mornin' Touché!" Dum-Dum greeted happily, smiling brightly. "Ya almost overslept again, so I had to wake you up in time ta do your hero bit."

Touché shook his head to regain his bearings and looked up at Dum-Dum with a frown. "Dum-Dum, how many times have I told you to never wake me up like that?" he started. "I have an alarm clock!"

"You slept right through it yesterday," Dum-Dum pointed out.

"Oh, never mind," Touché replied, shaking his head again. He got up from the floor and picked up his pillow. "But, thanks for the wake-up call anyway, Dum-Dum."

Dum-Dum nodded. "No prob, Touche!" he replied. A thought then came to his head and he slammed a fist into his paw. "Aw, shucks, I almost forgot! I was up this long an' didn't make any breakfast! I-I'll go ahead an' start it right away!"

Touché, who was putting on his hat, turned to look at him. "You don't have to do that, Dum-"

"I want to, Touché!" Dum-Dum interrupted, giving him a bright, eager smile. "After all, heroes gotta eat, an' since you're the greatest hero of all time, you've gotta eat a lot."

Touché didn't have an answer for that, namely because he felt elevated by Dum-Dum's words. "Why, thank you, Dum-Dum," he answered. "I don't say that myself…but I'm glad you did."

The sheepdog's smile widened, if it were possible. "I'll get right on breakfast, Boss!" he said, and before Touché could stop him, he was off and down the stairs—and quickly tumbled down to the bottom due to taking the stairs three at a time. There was a loud crash of metal on stone as he hit the floor.

"Are you alright, Dum-Dum?"

"Ugh…y-yeah…sorry 'bout that, Touche," came the sheepdog's reply.

Touché sighed to himself. Having a roommate like Dum-Dum around was hazardous sometimes, but in all honesty, he didn't regret having him around in the slightest.

"…I think I knocked down one of your suits of armor, Touché…"

"Which one, Dum-Dum?" Touché answered, making his way down.

"Uh…this gold an' brown one. I-It's already dented anyway but-"

That got Touché's attention. He was down the stairs in three seconds, and saw Dum-Dum standing there, holding the helmet from one of the suits he'd had. The rest of the armor-a dented, rusting, gold bronze suit with a blue plume in the helmet-was on the floor.

"Watch what you're doing, Dum-Dum!" He snatched the helmet from Dum-Dum and turned to examine the rest of the armor. Thankfully, Dum-Dum hadn't damaged it even more, but he couldn't help but groan as he put it back together. "You have to be careful around these things!"

Dum-Dum scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Touché. I didn't mean to," he said. "I-I was tryin' to make sure I didn't hit my face against the floor again so I turned over an'-" He sighed. "Sorry, Boss."

Touché sighed as he put the last piece of armor on. It wasn't Dum-Dum's fault entirely, but even after living in the castle this long, he should at least be careful. "All's forgiven, Dum-Dum," he said. He turned to face the sheepdog. "Sorry I yelled at you like that. But this suit of armor is an important treasure of mine. I don't want it damaged any more than it already is."

Dum-Dum cocked his head to the side. "Say, uh…why is this an important treasure, Touche? It's kinda weird, keepin' a damaged suit of armor," he said. "I mean, it's all spiffy an' everything, but…didn't you want it fixed before displayin' it?"

Touché tensed. _I've said too much already._

He was spared from answering when his shell started ringing. "Hmm, early for a job. Excuse me, Dum-Dum," he said, his tone easier, and ducked into his shell to answer his phone. "Touché Turtle speaking. Have shell, will travel."

 _"Touché! Thank God you answered! We need you to come down here right away!"_ a man shouted on the other end.

"Why, what seems to be the trouble?"

 _"Oh, it's just awful, Touché. Just awful! The village below…several people's homes were burglarized, and some of their homes have been burned to the ground!"_ the man continued. _"Even worse, nobody was able to get a good look at the person responsible!"_

"That's terrible! I'll get on it right away!" Reappearing out of his shell, Touché turned to his sidekick. "Dum-Dum!"

"Er, yeah, Touché?" Dum-Dum said, jumping to attention.

"You'll have to put breakfast on the backburner. We've got a job!" Touché replied, walking down the hall to pick up his famous weapon: an épée with a bent tip at the end.

"Eh, what seems to be the trouble, Touché?" Dum-Dum asked, following him.

"It's a lot of trouble, Dum-Dum. Some fiend not only robbed the villagers, but he's also burned their homes!" Touché reported.

"Who's responsible?"

"I don't know, but they're not going to get away with this," Touché said, his narrowed eyes filled with steely resolve. "The sooner we stop this fiend, the better. Now, let's get a move on!" Raising his épée into the air, he let out his famous war cry.

"TOUCHÉ AWAY!" With that, he charged through the door, only to get stuck in it with his sword.

"Yeah, uh, Touché and away!" Dum-Dum shouted, doing the same-only to crash right into Touché with enough force to shake the castle and rattle both of their bones.

"…Uh, I think we shoulda opened the door..."

" _Brilliant_ idea, Dum-Dum."

* * *

 _A little while later..._

The smell of burning wood filled Touché's nostrils as he walked ahead of Dum-Dum. He knew they were getting close, which was a godsend after how long they'd been walking. "You alright back there, my rusty assistant?"

"Uh, yeah, Touche."

"Good. After that crash into the door, I figured you must be a little sore," he replied.

"And I think you meant 'trusty' assistant, Touché."

"Right, right. Sorry," Touché answered. _Although,_ he thought, _there is a little truth in that statement…_

His thoughts ground to a halt as the village came within view. His eyes widened in shock, and horror froze him on the spot.

He was barely aware of Dum-Dum stumbling into him. "Hey, uh, Touche, what's _goin'-whoa."_ He too trailed off, his eyes wide with horror as he got a good look at the village.

From what he'd gathered from the caller, Touché had expected a few patches of burned land. He certainly hadn't expected _the entire village_ , smoldering heaps of blackened wood marking where houses, shops and booths had been. Mile-high smoke clouds rose into the air, painting the sky white and grey. Some of the remaining villagers were putting out some of the fires, but many other villagers were mourning what they had lost. The sight of women and children crying in front of the foundations of their homes sent a pang of sorrow through the terrapin.

The town square wasn't nearly as bad, but one thing caught Touché's attention. "Look over there, Dum-Dum," he said.

In the center of square was the remains of their fountain, built to honor Touché after he'd saved it from a dragon. It currently looked like it'd been blown apart with a bomb, with black residue covering the marble and much of Touché's body blown apart. Chunks of marble rested in the darkened water.

This wasn't the work of some random person. This was the work of someone with a grudge.

Dum-Dum put his hands over his mouth in horror. He was used to seeing destroyed property, but never of this magnitude. The sights of the people mourning were too much for him to handle and he turned back to the turtle. "H-How terrible…w-who would do somethin' like this?"

Touché's grip on his épée tightened. "That's what I want to know. And I'm going to find out."

Dum-Dum would've left it at that, but he noticed how tightly Touché was holding his épée; any tighter, and he'd crush the grip beyond recognition. "Hey, uh, are you alright, Boss? Y-Ya look-"

"I'm fine, Dum-Dum," Touché said immediately. He turned to face him with a small smile. "I'm fine. Just angry. I didn't expect him to do this much damage."

Dum-Dum still felt uneasy, but Touché wouldn't lie to him. "Well, if you're sure, Touche," he said. "But, uh, you'd better be careful."

"I'm always careful, Dum-Dum," Touché said, walking into the village. "I've got my trusty sword. Come on. We won't find clues looking at nothing, you know."

"Eh, right."

He'd taken only one step forward when a low, gravelly voice chuckled, "No need to find clues. I'm right here."

Dum-Dum leaped and caught Touché in a downward tackle, almost flattening the smaller turtle as they tumbled to the ground.

"Dum-Dum, you dummy, what are you doing?!" Touché shouted indignantly.

"B-b-b-b-bu-bu-Boss," Dum-Dum stammered out, shaking like a leaf, "d-d-did you hear that?!"

"I can't hear anything with you on me! Now get off before you crush me!" Touché ordered.

With a nervous gulp, he did. Touché got off the ground, undoing the damage Dum-Dum had inflicted on his hat, and glaring at him as he put it back on. "Now what did you do that for?"

"I-I'm tellin' ya, Touché, t-there was this voice and-"

"Look behind you, dummy," the voice said, and the heavy clanking of armor filled the air.

Touché and Dum-Dum turned around to face the source. A knight about as tall as Dum-Dum, dressed in a heavily dented black suit of armor, marched towards them. He had a blue plume on his helmet, although it was missing most of its feathers and some appeared to be burned at the top. In his hand was a double-edged sword with a black and silver grip and a silver pommel.

Through their career as heroes, Dum-Dum had seen his share of Black Knights...but he could tell that this one was different, just from watching how he carried himself.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Touché?" the Black Knight said, looking down at Touché.

Dum-Dum cocked his head in confusion. Neither of them had ever seen this guy in their lives, so how could he possibly know Touché? He turned to his best friend. "Hey, uh, you know this guy, Tou-"

Dum-Dum stopped when he got a good look at Touché. The turtle had a strange look in his eye-a look of shock and dare he say, horror. He even looked like he'd gone a shade paler. He jumped back and put his hands on the turtle's shoulders, shaking him. "T-Touché, what's wrong?!"

"Surprised?" the knight replied with a chuckle. "But like I said, it's been a while. Try about-"

Touché flew out of Dum-Dum's grasp, and the sheepdog fell over, losing his balance because of it. He heard a crash of metal on dirt, and spun around, startled, to see Touché on top of the knight, the jagged tip of his épée dangerously close to his throat. He looked up at the turtle and froze when he saw the utter fury in his eyes.

Despite the danger he was in, the Black Knight laughed. "Someone's angry."

 _"IT WAS YOU!"_ Touché roared, his voice echoing across the street. The volume of his voice made everyone jump, including Dum-Dum _._ He'd never heard Touché roar at anybody. "I should've known! This had your name written all over it!"

Dum-Dum picked himself up and ran over to Touché's side. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that something wasn't right. Touché _never_ got this angry at anyone, ever. "T-Touche, you've gotta calm down!"

"Stay out of this, sheepdog," the Black Knight spat. "This is between me and Touché."

Dum-Dum turned to him, a frown forming on his features. _"Hey-"_

"Stand back, Dum-Dum," Touché answered, his voice harsh. "This is my case."

"B-But-"

"That's an order." The command was given with no room for argument.

Dum-Dum swallowed and stepped back, but only a few steps. He had the feeling that he needed to stay close to Touché. He looked ready to drive his weapon straight through the guy's throat. "U-Uh..y-you're the boss..."

"You've got a guard dog now?" the Black Knight replied. "I'm surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Touché growled, which only amplified the terror.

"Since your last sidekick bit the dust a decade ago, I figured you'd go solo," the Black Knight said casually.

Shock cut through the terror at those words. Dum-Dum stared at the Black Knight, eyes wide. "L-Last sidekick?"

The Black Knight ignored him, focusing instead on Touché. "And then before that, when the old hare died. You were real torn up then. Almost qui-"

He grunted when Touché pressed the tip of the épée to his throat. Beads of red appeared at the edges and soaked into the under armor.

Now this was getting dangerous. "T-Touché-!" Dum-Dum started.

"Don't you _dare_ mention _either of them_ ," Touché spat at the Black Knight. His voice had gone to a deep, throaty growl. "You have no right to, after you murdered them in cold blood!"

Dum-Dum stared at the turtle in shock. _W-Who is Touche talkin' about? I didn't know this guy murdered anyone...!_

"Of course, I'll mention them," the Black Knight replied coldly. "You know why? Your friends are your weakness. You wouldn't be anything, were it not for you latching onto other people. Underneath that swashbuckling bravado is a dimwitted coward who stepped on others to get to where you are now. You're not indestructible. You're not untouchable. You're nothing but a wash-up, unworthy to hold the title of 'world's greatest hero'. You lack the nobility andcharacter of one."

Dum-Dum stared at this, his mind reeling. He'd heard many a villain dress down Touché, but _never_ like that. And from the enraged look on Touché's face, it was one that really got to him. "T-Touche..."

The Black Knight finished with, "I wonder just what the old hare saw in you."

Dum-Dum reacted purely on instinct. He wrapped his arms around the turtle and hefted him away just as the bloodstained tip of his épée stabbed into the chest armor covering the knight's collarbone, leaving a dent in it. His relief was short lived, for Touché turned that dark glare on him.

"Dum-Dum, you halfwit! What did you do that for?!" he shouted.

"You've gotta snap out of it, Touché! Ya nearly killed him when he was defenseless!" Dum-Dum protested.

"He-"

"That's right." The Black Knight got up from the ground, rubbing his throat. "Don't forget your code, Touché. About never kicking a man when he's down and all that."

"You're an exception to that code," Touché snapped, trying to twist away from Dum-Dum. "Let me go, Dum-Dum! I have to finish him off!"

"N-Not until you calm down, Touche!"

"And once again, the guard dog's right," the Black Knight said. "I'd prefer fighting you when you're not a hot-headed mess. It'll get you killed, like it nearly did the last time we fought."

"H-Hey, you'd better stop rilin' up my buddy Touché!" Dum-Dum said, setting the turtle down. It wasn't the wisest of ideas, but this guy was messing with Touché's head, causing him to act this way. "Or else you're gonna have to deal with me!"

The Black Knight chuckled, and his hand reached for his belt. "Alright. Think fast, sheepdog!"

Touché's eyes widened. "Dum-Dum, _look out_!"

The Black Knight's knife came flying at him, and at the last second, he leaped to the side, but the knife cut into his muzzle and below his ear. Dum-Dum howled in pain as he fell to the ground, grasping the side of his face.

"No wonder you're named Dum-Dum," the Black Knight snorted. "Even Touché saw that coming."

 _"Dum-Dum!"_ Touché ran over to his injured friend. "Dum-Dum, are you alright?!"

"I-I'll be fine, Touche. But don't worry about me-o- _ow-ow-owwwww...!_ " Dum-Dum shouted as Touché pulled away his paw from his face to see the cut, exposing it to the elements. "I-I said _don't worry 'bout it_ , Touché!"

"If you had moved like I told you to, I wouldn't have to worry!" Touché shot back.

"And what you should worry about is me," the Black Knight said. The joking tone was quickly leaving his voice. "I didn't come out of hiding just to watch you worry over your stupid guard dog."

"Then what did you come out of hiding for?" Touché demanded.

"I've decided that we need to settle this once and for all," the Black Knight replied.

Touché's eyes narrowed. "So, you want a duel? You've got it," he growled. "Name the time and the place."

"I'm feeling generous, so here are my terms: in three days, we'll meet back here at six in the morning," the Black Knight explained. "The winner gets to carry out his business. The loser gets buried in his hometown."

"A duel to the death, huh?" Touché remarked slowly. "It's been a while since I was involved in one of those."

Dum-Dum stared at him in horror. How could he say such things with little to no emotion whatsoever? "W-What?! No!" Dum-Dum shouted. "Y-You can't-"

"Well, Touché?" the Black Knight continued. "What do you say?"

"…I've been waiting a long time for this," Touché said. "Very well. I'll accept your terms."

 _"Touché!"_ Dum-Dum shouted, running in front of him. Steely conviction met him, and it was then that he saw just how serious the turtle was about this. It made him want to run and at the same time shake him back to his senses. "Touché, no, y-you _can't-_ "

The Black Knight chuckled. "Excellent. I'll see you Friday," he replied, and turned and walked away. He paused, and then added, "You know, I'm surprised you didn't tell your guard dog about me. Then again, I really shouldn't be. You didn't tell your first sidekick either, from what I've heard. But unlike me, you have a reputation to think about." He tsked. "Wouldn't want your last starry-eyed fan to find out his hero was nothing more than a liar and greedy thief."

Dum-Dum's eyes widened with shock. "W-What?"

"If you want to live to duel with me," Touché ground out, " _stop talking and keep walking_."

"Just making sure you'll be there," the Black Knight said, and walked away, placing his sword in its scabbard.

"Oh, I will," Touché ground out, glaring daggers at the Black Knight's retreating back.

When he was gone, Dum-Dum turned back around to face the turtle. The wind grazed against the cuts on his face, but that wasn't his main concern right then. "T-Touche, what was-"

"What made you do that, Dum-Dum?" Touché interrupted, glaring up at him. The murderous gleam was gone, leaving indignance in its place. "You realize you could've been killed just now? You're unarmed and defenseless! You don't challenge a warrior without weapons!"

"W-Well...maybe it wasn't the best idea-"

 _"Maybe?!"_ Touché all but screamed.

"O-OK, OK, it was a _stupid_ idea. B-But the guy was rilin' you up and-I-I had to do somethin'!" Dum-Dum protested. "I-I mean, I know that this guy was makin' up a lot of lies and you hate liars, but…you almost killed him!"

"…You should've let me," Touché replied darkly.

Dum-Dum was aghast. "Y-You can't be seri-"

"Do I look like I'm playing around, Dum-Dum?" Touché snapped. "You should have let me kill him! I had him right there and you just-!"

Dum-Dum slowly backed away from Touché. The turtle was scaring him now; he'd never thought he'd see him act like this. "S-Still…Touche, you've fought evil knights before," he stammered out, "b-but I've never seen ya act like that around any of 'em!"

"This 'knight', if he can even call himself that, is _evil_ , Dum-Dum," Touché replied. "He's robbed from many villagers, burned their homes and even killed several people." His hands balled into shuddering fists. "I should've known it was him…this incident had his name written all over it!"

"B-But why are you so determined ta kill 'im?" Dum-Dum asked.

"If you knew what he'd done, you wouldn't have stopped me," Touché growled out. Vengeance burned in his eyes. "I lost my chance to get him, twice. But I swore that I would get him the next time I saw him."

"But what _did_ he do, Touché?" Dum-Dum begged. "W-What was he talkin' about, you havin' another sidekick and some old hare or somethin'?"

The look in Touché's eyes hardened, although a tinge of sadness had mixed in with the bitterness. "I don't want to talk about it, Dum-Dum," he answered lowly, and pushed past him to leave. "Just forget about it."

"H-How can I forget about it?!" Dum-Dum cried, following Touché outside of the village. "You almost killed him over two dead guys!"

Touché spun around to face Dum-Dum then, and the sheepdog stepped back. Touché looked like he was about to run him through with his épée. "They were not just 'two dead guys', Dum-Dum! Those two were like _family_ to me!" he shouted. "He killed them in front of me and mocked their deaths afterwards and I'm supposed to act like that's fine!?"

Dum-Dum felt as though he'd shoved his foot down his throat. "I-I didn't-"

"I can't believe you'd say something like that, Dum-Dum! You don't even know what I've been through!"

"I-I would if you would just-"

"Save it! I'm not going to waste my breath trying to explain anything to a pea-brained, weak-hearted simpleton!" Touché raged. "I can't believe I thought any different, but it turns out that you really don't understand anything after all!"

The whole field was silent save for the hissing of the dying flames. Dum-Dum stared at Touché, his eyes quickly filling with tears and his bottom lip quivering. He'd never thought he'd hear Touché say such words. His boss, his best friend, his _hero,_ calling him these things…even when he'd lost his temper at him, he'd never insulted him like that. Dum-Dum felt as though his heart were breaking into pieces as he stared at Touché, tears blurring his vision and racing down his face like a waterfall.

The fury on Touché's face melted in seconds, and his eyes went wide with dawning horror. He croaked out, "D-Dum-Dum, I-"

"S-Save it, Touché. Y-You've said enough…and you're right. I-I probably wouldn't understand anyway. I'm the stupidest sheepdog in the world, of course I c-couldn't-" Too overcome with hurt and shame, Dum-Dum turned around and took off for the other exit.

"Dum-Dum, wait! _Come back_!" Touché shouted.

Dum-Dum thought he heard him follow, but he didn't answer him, or look back. He couldn't face Touché, not after what the turtle had said. He continued to run, stumbling into the forest and down the beaten path, branches brushing against and cutting into his body. In his blind run, he nearly ran headfirst into a tree. This finally got him to stop, and he leaned against said tree, catching his breath.

 _I'm not going to explain anything to a pea-brained, weak-hearted simpleton!_

Sobs eventually forced its way out, and Dum-Dum covered his eyes with his arm as he cried. He hadn't meant to hurt Touché's feelings or make him angrier, but he couldn't explain anything to him now. Touché meant every word that he'd said; he was a person of his word, and Dum-Dum knew Touché.

Or maybe he didn't know him at all.

He sniffled heartily, and then wiped his muzzle. "A-Aw, what's the use? Touché's not gonna tell me what's goin' on…" he said. "I-If I was lucky, s-someone in the next town over knows what happened to 'im." He let out a sad chuckle. "B-But what's the chance of that, huh?"

With that, he stumbled down the beaten forest path, tears racing down his face.

* * *

 _Touché's Castle_

Touché returned to an empty castle that afternoon, and his already low spirits sunk even further.

Wrapping up the case without Dum-Dum had been easy, but even as he'd gone about his job, their fight kept replaying in his mind, and each replay brought on the urge to drop everything, find Dum-Dum and apologize to him. He hadn't hurt Dum-Dum's feelings—no, he'd _destroyed_ him. The devastated look on the sheepdog's face was already burned into his memory, and he'd practically run up the last few yards to the castle to find him. Often if Dum-Dum got lost or if they got separated, he found his way back to the castle. The dog considered the castle to be his home—or rather, he considered anywhere Touché lived to be his home.

An empty castle…now that was a sign that he was truly upset.

"What have I done?" he muttered to himself. He closed the door and sunk to the floor, his hat in hands. "What possessed me to say that to him?"

Dum-Dum had many faults, the most glaring one in his name. Many people called him an idiot, a halfwit, a dummy—heck, he'd called him those names whenever he'd been mad at Dum-Dum. But he hadn't deserved that spiel, even if he had known what was going on. He'd had every right to be concerned; after all, the Touché Turtle he knew never lost his cool like that. He was almost always in control of his emotions, never allowing people to rile him.

But he had today. And not only that, he'd opened his big mouth, saying that Dum-Dum would never understand because of how stupid he was. Dum-Dum had tried to, but Touché had put up a wall to prevent those old memories from resurfacing. Very few allies knew what he'd been like before, what he'd lost and what he'd become because of his bad choices.

But Dum-Dum didn't know, because Touché had never told him. And Dum-Dum had wanted to know. He'd begged him for answers to the Black Knight's accusations, and wanted to know whether they were true or not.

And although he knew he owed his best friend that much after hurting him, he couldn't give one to him. Not after how he'd acted today.

Not after what he'd said today.

Gripping his épée, Touché got up from the floor and walked outside into the courtyard. Although he didn't want to, he'd have to push his friend to the back of his mind again. Right now, he had a duel to prepare for.

* * *

 _In another town…_

Dum-Dum sighed as he walked into the marketplace. The smells of fresh meat, cheese and bread greeted him as he walked in, and he had to admit, it was rather tempting…but right now he didn't feel like eating anything. He felt weighed down with sadness, exhaustion and worry.

Although he'd tried not to think about it, the ordeal with Touché and the Black Knight was first and foremost on his mind. The things that the Black Knight had said, about Touché being greedy, a liar and a thief…that couldn't be true. He was the world's greatest hero—or one of them, anyway. Touché always did good deeds, helping others in need, defeating evildoers and always doing it with honor.

The Black Knight _had_ to be wrong.

But maybe…maybe he wasn't. He knew more things about Touché that Dum-Dum hadn't even heard of. He hadn't known that Touché had another sidekick. He hadn't known that Touché had lost loved ones.

And he hadn't known that Touché had thought of him as a simple idiot, either.

He knew he wasn't that smart; in fact, now that he thought about it, saying that Touché had been getting mad over two dead guys was an idiotic thing to say. But even then, he'd wanted to know why he'd snapped like that. There was something deeper to this case, and from what he could tell, this something was a burden to him. And Dum-Dum wanted to, at the very least, take the burden off his shoulders.

In their line of work, they were allowed to kill, but Touché made it a point to never do so. He faced his opponents with his famous fearless resolve, but even if he beat them in combat, he'd spare their life and give them the chance to turn around. Very rarely, he would kill if the person requested it to put them out of their misery, and often it was seen as an act of mercy. It was a sign of his nobility, how he tried to give people the chance to change.

There was nothing noble about this. What he was trying to do to the Black Knight…it wasn't right. It wasn't at all like the turtle he knew.

He bumped into someone's shoulder. "Hey! Watch it, sheepdog!" the man shouted, his accent thick.

"S-Sorry," Dum-Dum mumbled, but the man had already left. He sighed and kept walking, only to pause when he saw the fountain in the middle of town.

It looked just like the one that had been in the town that'd been torched to the ground, except it was made with stone instead of marble. Next to Touché was a tall man—incredibly young, with nice hair and a strong build, dressed in a suit of dented armor. Someone had been taking good care of this fountain, as it looked almost new.

"Gee, I didn't know there was a statue of Touché here too," he muttered.

"Yeah. He's the one who defended this town from the Black Knight."

Dum-Dum looked over to his left to see the speaker. A man slightly taller than him, sturdy and having tanned skin, red hair laced with grey and blue eyes, smiled wistfully up at the statue, his eyes focused on the man next to Touché. "They built this fountain years ago, to honor Touché's defeat of the Black Knight," he continued.

"Uh, who's the young fella next ta Touché?" Dum-Dum asked.

"That's Nicolas Fontaine," the man explained, "Touché Turtle's very first sidekick. They traveled everywhere together but made this town their home." He chuckled. "Nico never liked the idea of leaving home for long."

"How do you know?"

"He was my son," the man said, and his voice took on a melancholic note. "My only son, and all I had after his mother died." He looked up at Dum-Dum. "Are you friends with Touché Turtle?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend an' hero. I'm his sidekick," Dum-Dum replied. "I-I never knew that Touché had another sidekick."

"I don't imagine he'd tell you. What happened to Nicolas broke me, but Touché took it harder than I did," the man answered.

"W-Would you like to sit down an' talk about it instead?" Dum-Dum asked.

The man smiled. "I would like that, yes. I'll take you back to my workshop. No use of talking about something so heavy in the middle of the street," he answered. "I'm Julien, Nico's father. And you are?"

"Oh, it's Dum-Dum. Dum-Dum Dugan."

"Alright. Follow me. My workshop's right up the street."

Dum-Dum did so, feeling much lighter. _Well, whaddya know? Maybe I'll get lucky an' find out what's goin' on with Touché after all._

* * *

 _Touché Turtle's Castle_

 _Training Grounds_

 _"HYAH!"_ Touché stabbed at the dummy, puncturing the side of the rice bag that made up its "chest". Rice spilled out of it, and added on to the growing pile of rice from the other stab wounds "it" had incurred.

Touché studied the dummy with a frown, resting from his attacks. Attacking the dummy had been one way of perfecting his thrusts—not that he needed a lot of work in that area, but he wasn't taking any chances—but as for controlling his footwork and such, he needed a live opponent for that.

And about the only person he could get with any fencing experience was Dum-Dum.

Touché sighed. He hadn't been able to focus as well as he would've normally, namely because his friend's face flashed into his mind at inopportune times. Every time he attacked the dummy, he thought of his words to Dum-Dum. Each word had been like one of his strikes—sharp, piercing and painful.

And just from remembering Dum-Dum's expression, his words had done far worse than that.

Touché walked past the beaten dummy and made his way back inside the castle. It'd been two hours since he'd started training, and he knew he needed something to eat after training for that long, but he couldn't bring himself to eat anything, not with his best friend on his mind.

He knew that Dum-Dum wasn't useless, or disloyal...but an all-too familiar fear was trying to make its way back up, one that he'd tried to bury years back with the Black Knight.

 _I just hope that Dum-Dum comes back,_ Touché thought to himself, shaking his head to rid himself of his fears.

* * *

 _Julien's Workshop_

"Forgive the mess-and the smell," Julien said, bringing a tray of cakes over to Dum-Dum, who was polishing off a cup of coffee. "I have several projects that I have to get done by next week."

"Aw, it's no problem," Dum-Dum answered, sniffling. He looked around the woodshop, seeing the various art pieces that were on sale. Some of them were beautiful clocks, others were wood statues in various stages of completion. The room was heavy with the smells of metal and sawdust, the latter of which had gotten in his nose. "Ya've got a real nice collection of art, Mr. Fontaine."

"Just Julien, please. And thank you," the man replied, setting the cakes down. "I've fallen on hard times, and I'm not selling as much as I used to. I may consider selling this place eventually."

"Aw, that's too bad. Ya don't need ta sell it," Dum-Dum replied. "I've got a cousin up in New York who loves woodwork. I-I could talk ta him if you'd like."

"Oh, you're too kind, but you don't have to."

"I'd still like to," Dum-Dum answered. "Nothin' makes me happier than helpin' someone, 'specially if they're in trouble." His smile fell slightly. "'Course, uh…not everyone wants my help, though. Touché kinda made that clear."

"You two had a fight, huh?"

"Yeah…y'see, the Black Knight burned down a village not far from here, an-"

Julien's eyes went wide. "The Black Knight came back!?" he shouted. "Y-You can't be serious!"

"H-He destroyed a village this morning, a-and we saw him earlier," Dum-Dum explained. "Touché's…H-He was so _angry,_ I thought he was going to kill 'im right there on the spot. I-I had to stop 'im and h-he's takin' it hard…"

"Well…can I be brutally honest for a moment?" the man started quietly. "I think you should've let him finish him off."

"H-Hey, that's the same thing Touché said," Dum-Dum replied. "I-Is he really that evil?"

"He killed my son in cold blood, Dum-Dum," Julien explained darkly.

Dum-Dum's eyes widened. "H-He died?!"

"I'll never forget the day the Black Knight came to this town. His goal was to take over the castle, but he set everything on his way there. Touché and Nico were called to keep the town from falling into his hands and were prepared to fight to their last breath to do it," Julien explained. "It was literal, in Nico's case. He was impaled by the Black Knight, and died in Touché's arms."

Dum-Dum's eyes were wide with horror. "T-That's horrible…"

"I had to carry his body back here," the man continued. Tears splashed onto the worktable, mixing in with the sawdust. "F-Forgive me..."

"There's no need," Dum-Dum choked out, and pulled out a handkerchief from inside his scarf. "H-He's your son. Y-You deserve ta cry."

"Y-You are too kind, Dum-Dum," Julien answered, taking the neckerchief and wiping his eyes with it. He swallowed back a sob, although he was still shaking. "I was shattered for years, since I'd lost my family…but Touché took it harder than me. He loved Nico like a little brother a-and considered him to be family."

"S-So that's what he meant…"

Julien looked up at him, his blue eyes slightly red. "Pardon?"

"E-Earlier today…I said that he'd gotten mad over two dead guys…" Dum-Dum shook his head. "He yelled back that those two were like family to him. N-No wonder he was so mad…"

"I know that he lost someone to the Black Knight before…but he didn't tell me any details," Julien said. "But yes…Nico was like a little brother to Touché. In fact, I'm very happy that he met him."

"You are?"

"Yes. They ended up bringing the best out of each other, although in Touché's case, he changed for the better," Julien answered. "Touché…when he came to this town, he was a different turtle. Hardened, struggling and honestly a little greedy."

"H-He was greedy?" Dum-Dum all but shouted. "I-I thought the Black Knight was makin' that up!"

Julien shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Back then, the one who did the bravest deeds got the most money. And Touché worked his butt off to get it. Nothing made him happier than having the largest bag of gold."

Dum-Dum's face fell. "So that was true? Touché was doin' good deeds just for the money?" he asked.

"Yes…originally," Julien replied. "But it eventually landed him in trouble with a few knights. They didn't like him hogging the gold and they beat him severely and threw him out. That's how he met my son, Nicolas; he found him beat up in the middle of the street, so Nico took him into our home."

"Was he a big fan of Touché?"

"Very. Nico got Touché to tell him about his life as a hero, and he decided to train as a knight right after. He wanted to learn how to fence and fight with a sword, but nobody could teach him, so Touché took him under his wing, albeit reluctantly. Although he loved Nico like a little brother, he absolutely refused to train him."

"Uh, why?"

"I'll never forget what he said. After he refused to train him the third time, he told me, 'I've lost someone to my line of work. I don't want to lose your son either'," Julien replied. "In response, I told him that exploring the world and doing things for people would be good for Nico—it'd change him, help him leave his fears behind. Before he met Touché, Nico didn't even want to leave the house. That changed his mind."

"Huh…so, that's how they started workin' together…"

"Once he learned that he was helping people in the long term, Nico took to doing the good deeds like a fish to water. He and Touché traveled together after Nico graduated from school," Julien answered. "Their friendship opened up Touché. He stopped looking for jobs just for the money. He even told me that working with him helped out a lot." He sighed. "If his friendship brought him out of his hard shell, then Nico's death is what caused him to retreat into it again."

"A-After they fought the Black Knight, what happened?"

"Touché overpowered the Black Knight in his fury, but he couldn't deliver the final blow even when he pinned him, and the Black Knight took the opportunity to escape," Julien recalled. "He blamed himself for Nico's death and not avenging him when he had the chance. Not long after they unveiled this statue…he left and never returned. I haven't heard much from him except for a year ago."

Dum-Dum sobbed. "Poor Touché…h-he was carryin' all of that an' I didn't know…" He wiped his eyes.

"Like I said, I'm not surprised that he didn't tell you. He had quite a history with the Black Knight, which even I learned of recently. He told me such a few years ago," Julien answered.

"He never told me any of this! No wonder he was so upset at the Black Knight today…"

"He doesn't like to burden people with his problems or his troubles," Julien answered. "If the Black Knight's back as you say, I can only imagine how he's doing right now. Sometimes…"

Dum-Dum looked at him in horror. "Sometimes what?"

"Sometimes, he works himself to exhaustion when he's reminded of things," Julien replied, shaking his head. "He was doing it before Nico worked with him, and started doing it again after Nico died. Nothing can stop him when-"

Dum-Dum jumped out of his chair so fast, he almost knocked the table down. Julien stared at him, shocked. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"I-I'm gonna have to find Touché…I've gotta talk to 'im!" Dum-Dum said, looking up at him. Urgency was present in his blue eyes. "I-I know he's mad at me right now, but I can't sit back an' let him hurt himself!"

"I'm telling you, he's not going to stop when he's like this!" Julien warned.

"Yeah, he'll stop! And if he doesn't, I'll make him, even if it kills me!" Dum-Dum replied. "He's not just my hero—he's my best friend, Julien! If I sit back, he's gonna destroy 'imself, and I'm not gonna let that happen!"

Julien stared at him in surprise, and then he smiled. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"What friend would I be if I didn't?" Dum-Dum answered. He paused, taking a breath to calm down, and then said, "Thanks for explainin' what happened to Nico, Julien…an' I'm really sorry for your loss. But I've gotta find my best friend an' talk to him."

"Then by all means, don't let me stop you, Dum-Dum," Julien replied. "Honestly, Touché's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Aw, shucks...w-well, it's nothin' really," Dum-Dum replied bashfully.

"To you it might not be. But to him it would mean a lot. Now, I'd suggest you get going," he said.

"Eh, right." Dum-Dum turned to go, but then he turned back to Julien. "An' I really mean it. Thanks."

"No. Thank you," Julien replied. "You have no idea how much having someone to talk to means to me. I haven't really made any friends since then."

"Aw, Julien...well, ya know somethin'? I'll be yer pal," Dum-Dum replied. "When this thing's over an' done with, I'll come back an' we can chat about all sorts of things!"

"You mean that?"

Dum-Dum nodded. "Yup!"

Julien chuckled. "I'll hold you to that, Dum-Dum."

"H-Heh, yeah, I'll be back," Dum-Dum said. "I promise." With that, he exited the workshop and ran down the street, heading for the exit at full speed.

He knocked down several people, and more than a few swore at him in French, but he didn't care. He burst through the trees and up the beaten path. Although his bones ached from running up another hill, that was the least of his concerns.

 _For goodness' sake, don't kill yourself over this guy, Touché!_

 **End of Part 1  
**

* * *

 ** _Finally, here's the first part of the rewrite! *throws a party*_**

 ** _I have far too many Hanna-Barbera OCs already, so I'm thinking of probably getting another one of those "character creation" site accounts so I can create more OC profiles. Or just make a wiki for all my OCs, lol. But yeah, characters like Julien and the Black Knight are going to get a lot more focus in upcoming chapters and possibly later stories that feature Touché and Dum-Dum. They're not just "the one-shot characters; they actually do have a role in this universe._**

 ** _I tried to lighten the story up with banter from Touché and Dum-Dum, but I wasn't kidding when I said that this story was dark. I don't think it's as dark as say "Blazin' Trails" or "The Return of the Phantom Empire" (which I personally consider one of my darker Hanna-Barbera stories), but it's fairly dark. But if you thought this was startling, it's going to get even darker in the coming chapters, as we get the other half of the story from Touché's side, the duel and the aftermath. I'm also doing some research on medieval times, musketeers, the sport of fencing, swordfighting techniques and how epee works to enrich this universe...and also so the fight scenes don't suck, haha. :^)_**

 ** _I know I do this a lot, but characters like Dum-Dum and Droop-a-Long are fun to write. They're like the unsung heroic foils to their more capable leaders. Unlike what happened with Droop-a-Long, Dum-Dum's airheaded moments are still part of his character, but for the most part he's a little smarter than he is in the cartoon. And for all his dopey moments, he's a really caring, kind of sensitive guy who adores his buddy. I felt super bad for him when Touché insulted him like that. With Dum-Dum running back to the castle at the end here, let's hope their friendship's back on the mend.  
_**

 ** _Touché turned out to be fun as well. Although this story is about his dark past, I wanted to expand on his character farther than just that. In ways, he's the opposite of my portrayal of Ricochet, and has several similarities. I made a lot of comparisons to him and Ricochet while I was working on this story. And yes, Nico's death is part of the reason he was angry to the point of murdering the Black Knight, but the second reason is next chapter and it ties to the person that the Black Knight kept calling "the old hare".  
_**

 ** _And speaking of Nico, it's pronounced the same way you'd pronounce Nicolas, not Nico as in Nico Yazawa from Love Live. Just wanted to point that out. ^^_**

 ** _So, what all did you like about this rewrite? And what do you think could've been done better, or changed? I'd really like to know, so please leave your thoughts in your reviews! Constructive criticism helps me grow as a writer, and I'd really, really appreciate it if you left some helpful feedback!_**

 ** _God bless you all, and let's make this a great 2018!_**

 ** _~iheartgod175_**


	2. Chapter 2: Noonday Sorrow

**A/N:** Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about all my other fics. It's just that I'm halfway finished with this one :)

I finally completed my marketing class, so that leaves me with one class this semester. This means that I have a lot more time to write until spring semester when I have my other two classes to take. But I'll be taking it easy for the next few days after MAT104 is over to refuel and such. :)

Anyway, onto our story!

 **Disclaimer:** Warner Bros. was nice enough to point out that I STILL don't own _Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum_. -_- I just own more OCs, as usual.

 **Notes & Terminology: **

_Toulouse_ -Toulouse is Touché's actual name (only made for this story mind you). The name Touché was given to him by his mentor, Harebrain, due to his prowess and skill with a foil.

 _Lièvre_ \- Sebastian/Harebrain's family surname is the French word for "hare"; rather fitting, since he is a European hare ^^.

 _Nom de guerre-_ an assumed name, as one under which a person fights, paints, writes, etc.; pseudonym. Harebrain Hare is the pseudonym of Sebastian Liévre, and in this story, Touché calls him by both names-he calls him Harebrain when he's explaining his history to Dum-Dum, but in his flashbacks, he calls him by his actual name under his tutelage. I hope that makes sense ^^

 _Petit tortue-_ French for "little turtle" or "small turtle", this was Harebrain's first nickname for Touché. I used a French to English translator that WASN'T Google Translate for this.

* * *

 **For Love and Glory  
**

 **Part 2: Noonday Sorrow**

 _Touché Turtle's Castle_

The oak door slammed against the wall, shaking the entire castle and sending one of Touché's shields to the ground. That was the least of Dum-Dum's concerns, however, as he rushed inside looking to and fro for his old friend.

 _"Touché!"_ he bellowed, his shout echoing through the hall.

No answer. That meant one of two things: either Touché was outside practicing, or he was asleep. Well, that last one was unlikely, since it was still afternoon…unless the turtle had tired himself out from working out too much like Julien had said. Worry gripping him, he closed the door and started to walk through the castle. "Hey, uh, Touche?"

"No need to shout, Dum-Dum."

Dum-Dum spun around to see Touché leaning against the wall to the right of the door, arms folded and one leg crossed behind the other. His épée was on the other side. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to."

Relief coursed through Dum-Dum. "Oh, there you are. I-I thought you were outside practicin' for the duel," he replied.

"You're the reason I'm not," Touché answered bluntly.

Dum-Dum's spirits sank. So he was still mad at him. "Oh…s-sorry, Touché…"

"I don't mean that in a bad way, Dum-Dum. It's just…" Touché averted his gaze, shame in his brown eyes. "Our fight did me in. I kept hitting the dummy's face and I kept seeing your face, Dum-Dum." After what seemed like an eternity, he finally looked up at him, his expression conveying his sorrow. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I have every reason to be angry at the Black Knight, but I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you."

"I'm sorry, too," Dum-Dum replied. "I shouldn't have called those people you lost 'those two dead guys'. Nico and that other guy were pretty important to you, weren't they?"

Touché's eyes widened. "Someone told you about Nico?"

"Well…I ran into the other town, an' saw this other statue of you an' Nico. Then I met his father," Dum-Dum answered, scratching the back of his neck. "He told me everythin' about you an' Nico."

"Ah…"

"He also said somethin' about you losin' someone else to your line of work, but he didn't know nothin' else."

"That's because I didn't want to tell anything else," Touché answered.

"Just like ya didn't want to tell me?" Dum-Dum asked.

Touché went silent again, and Dum-Dum looked down at the turtle, his expression sad. "Y'know, Touche… I'm not mad at ya. I'm more worried than anythin'," he answered quietly. "Y-Ya scared me today when we saw the Black Knight. I think that there's somethin' goin' on that you're not tellin' me about. I don't know what it is, but I don't want ya workin' yourself to death over it."

"Where did you-" Touché paused, and then he sighed. "Never mind. I guess Julien told you that too."

"Thing is, I-I never knew that. When I heard that, I got so worried that I ran all the way back here," Dum-Dum replied. "I was hurt by what you said, but I had to stop ya. I couldn't just sit there and leave you alone."

Touché stared at him in shock. "Dum-Dum, I was fine. You really didn't have to-"

"You are _not_ fine!" Dum-Dum shouted, startling Touché out of his sentence. A rare angry look was on his face. "Anyone can see you're workin' yourself up over this guy! I can't sit back an' let you do that! I want to help you a little!"

"By doing what, Dum-Dum?" Touché snapped. "This isn't your fight! What can you do to help me?"

"By bein' here if you need ta say somethin', that's what," Dum-Dum answered. "I-I know I'm not the one the Black Knight wants to fight. I know I can't stop you two from fightin' to the death. But I know I can stop my pal from losin' himself, an' darn it all, I'm goin' to."

Touché stared at Dum-Dum, utter aplomb on his face. In the ten years they'd known each other, and even during some of their worst arguments, Dum-Dum had never shouted at him like that. In fact, it was the first time he'd ever raised his voice at him. He could sense the worry behind the anger on the sheepdog's face, and that only made him feel worse.

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the anger left, replaced with worry. "S-Sorry, Touche…I-I was holdin' that in for a while, and-"

"No…no, there's no need to apologize, Dum-Dum," Touché replied. "I deserved that. If anything, I'm the one who should be sorry. I've been holding a lot of secrets from you."

"Touche-"

"If you knew what I was like before, what I've done before…you'd never want to be my friend again," he interrupted quietly. "But… if you came back after Julien told you about Nico and some of what I did…"

"Touché, you're my pal," Dum-Dum answered. "I'll sit an' listen an' try to understand what's goin' on."

Touché smiled—a real, honest smile that lit up his tired features. "Thanks, Dum-Dum. I do owe you that much," he said. He took off his hat, exposing some of his hair. "You see my hat and sword, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"These were originally gifts from my mentor, an old hare called Harebrain," Touché replied. His smile became wistful. "I never go into battle without them; they're like my good luck charms."

"How'd ya get 'em?" Dum-Dum asked, sitting in a chair.

Touché pulled up a stool and sat in front of Dum-Dum. "Get comfortable, it's a long story," he said.

Dum-Dum pulled out a pillow and sat in front of him, anticipation on his face. "So, is this the part where ya explain how ya became a hero?"

"For the most part, yes. Although, I have to warn you…this story doesn't have a happy ending," Touché replied. "If I falter at some parts, just bear with me, okay?"

Dum-Dum nodded. "I-I'm listenin', Touché."

Touché leaned against the table. "Well, it all started when I first took a trip to Europe. My parents didn't want me going anywhere, but my uncle Cecil took pity on me, so he took me with him to Europe. I saw a lot of amazing things, but it was in France where everything really took off…"

* * *

Toulouse reclined against the rock, another half-eaten crepe in his hand, which he took a small bite of as he looked at the duel below. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw one of the duelists expertly flick away his opponent's weapon, followed by pointing his foil at his chest. The man's foil clattered uselessly behind him on the ground.

"Wow!" Toulouse gasped, even as the crowd cheered for the winner, who went over and shook his opponent's hand in a show of good sportsmanship. "Now that's pretty impressive."

"You really think so, Toulouse?" His uncle Cecil sat next to him, holding two banana crepes in his hand. He was somewhat taller than his nephew and was colored teal with a cerulean blue shell. "I didn't think you'd like this sort of thing."

* * *

Dum-Dum blinked in confusion. "Uh, who's Toulouse?"

"That's _me_ , Dum-Dum," Touché said with a groan.

"B-But your name's Touché!" Dum-Dum replied. "Not Toulouse!"

Touché sighed. "Toulouse is actually my real name. It's French," he explained.

"It is?"

"Yeah. My family ancestry traces back here, Dum-Dum," Touché said. "And a lot of my family members have French names."

"Oh…well, it doesn't sound as cool as Touché," Dum-Dum pointed out.

"I'd be mad at that, but I didn't like it much either. But it was changed later."

"When did ya change it?"

"If you'd listen instead of interrupting, I'd tell you!"

"Oh, right…"

* * *

Toulouse gave his uncle a small smile. "Well…in all honesty, I didn't think I would either," Toulouse answered. "But it looks like something fun to do."

His uncle chuckled, and he turned to face him with a frown. "What, Uncle Cecil?"

"I know where this is going," Cecil replied. "You're gonna try and be a fencer and then quit when it gets boring for you."

"Now what makes you think I'd do that?"

"Because you've done it twenty times," Cecil snorted, taking a bite of his crepe. "We all remember the time you said you wanted to be a musician. I still can't get that 'piece' you composed out of my head."

Toulouse's face flushed red. "No need to rub that in, Uncle Cecil." He groaned. "Then again…that concert _was_ a failure."

"See what I mean? And then there are the other hobbies you wanted to try, too," Cecil answered. "You nearly drove your dad insane with all that changing courses."

"It's not my fault that I lost interest in those things! I had dreams to do so many things, but…they all stayed as just that: _dreams_ , Uncle Cecil. I'm not like my brothers and sister who all found something they loved and stuck with it," Toulouse grumbled. "What's a turtle like me supposed to do?"

"Well, for starters, you could get an actual job," Cecil pondered.

"Me, working nine to five at a run-down fast food restaurant? That's ridiculous," Toulouse scoffed.

Cecil sighed. "I should've listened to my brother. Seems being here in Europe is filling your head with all sorts of high-class ideas," he said.

"And if you'd listened to my dad, I'd be stuck at home and locked away in his study doing nothing but reading," Toulouse shot back.

"Nothing's wrong with liking finer things in life, Toulouse," Cecil said, "or traveling the world."

"Sure doesn't seem like you believe that," Toulouse said. "Everyone in my family has been somewhere around the world at least twice, and they've got all sorts of souvenirs! And my brother André has been here several times!" He took another bite of his crepe, although it didn't taste as good to him now. "I don't know what you guys are trying to protect _me_ from."

Cecil sighed, and he looked over at Toulouse with sadness. "Tou-"

The blasts of several horns stopped him. Both turtles looked over to see two more duelists enter the ring. To the left was a tall clean-shaven blonde man of average build, dressed in white fencing gear, his helmet in his hand, waving to the crowd with a smug look on his face and winking at the ladies who were fawning over him.

And to the right was a short brown hare-no doubt he probably came up to the blonde man's waist-with patches of graying tan fur and yellow sclera. He didn't wear fencing gear but was dressed in what appeared to be musketeer garb, with a red tabard and a black and red cape. Completing the look was a white cavalier hat with a curling red feather, and carrying a longer version of the man's foil.

Toulouse couldn't help but laugh at this, which earned him a sharp glare from his uncle. He looked over at him. "What? The guy looks old enough to be my dad, and he looks like he walked right out of a history book," he said. "And he's going up against that young man?"

"Don't judge him by his looks alone, Toulouse," Cecil said.

 _"_ _And now, for our final duel, we welcome our two competitors: Jean-Henri Bernard and our well-loved, well-known Harebrain Hare,"_ the announcer said.

The crowd cheered loudly at this, to Toulouse's surprise, and the hare turned and waved to the crowd, a pleased smile on his face.

Toulouse scoffed and folded his arms. "Harebrain Hare, huh? Wonder why they call him that."

"Oh, be quiet!" Cecil admonished, his eyes locked on the fight below. Harebrain had taken off his cape and handed it to his second, a yellow furred cat, before walking to the center of the ring while adjusting his gloves.

Toulouse rolled his eyes and sat back with his arms folded. _This'll be good. I get to see an old man way out of his league get beat by a younger person. I guess what they say is true: You can't teach an old dog new tricks._

The referee tapped the bell with his hammer, starting the match. Harebrain immediately went for the offensive, lightly pressing his épée forward, sending Jean-Henri moving back. He chased him to the other side of the ring, and thrust forward, the tip of his épée touching his chest. The referee raised the flag and the crowd roared with praise.

Toulouse's eyes widened slightly. "Holy moly…"

"Told ya not to judge him from the first appearance," Cecil smirked.

"Well…he probably got a lucky hit," Touché said. "He's a hare, they're always lucky."

"We'll see."

The next five minutes were a blur. With each bout, Toulouse found himself leaning forward with more and more interest. The old hare had racked up 8 points in under four minutes, while Jean-Henri was rapidly catching up. As the last minute started winding down, Toulouse wondered if Harebrain would actually make it in time.

"Worried?" Cecil asked teasingly.

"No, of course not! Worry's not in my vocabulary," Toulouse said, although his eyes were trained on the match.

Cecil just smirked.

Jean-Henri took the offensive in the final bout. He teased forward, driving Harebrain back to his corner and almost sending him into his cape-holding assistant. But he didn't look worried; he simply ducked and parried the younger man's thrusts, finishing off with an impressive jump when Jean-Henri went for his legs.

 _"_ _Ten seconds…nine, eight, seven, six…"_

Toulouse licked his lips nervously. Jean-Henri was pressing on his offensive, and it was only a matter of time before he'd land a hit and win the match. _Come on…_

And then, as Jean-Henri's épée clashed against the guard, the hare dropped to the ground in a perfect split and turned his épée towards Jean-Henri as the young man ran past, hitting him.

The bell sounded off, and the crowd went wild.

Toulouse stared at this, no longer fighting to contain his surprise. Harebrain was helped up by his assistant and a female hare who looked almost exactly like him, only her fur was reddish in color. Although he had a small wince on his face, the hare looked pleased as he turned to the ground and waved at the people, who were starting to throw flowers, carrots and rice all over the place. He then walked over to his opponent, his weapon at his side, and extended his hand towards him in sportsmanship. Jean-Henri, however, glared down at him and walked away angrily, ripping his helmet off as he did so.

Toulouse frowned. "How rude of him! He beat him fair and square," he grumbled. "What ever happened to good sportsmanship?"

"Apparently he wasn't taught that," Cecil said. Harebrain shrugged and went back over to his team, who were hugging him and clapping him on the back. He got up from the ground and stretched, groaning loudly. "Well, ready to go, Toulouse?"

"Uncle Cecil, is there any way I can learn more about this Harebrain person?"

Cecil paused. "Well, other than going to the library…"

Toulouse jumped up. "Great. Let's head there first. I want to learn everything I can about fencing and that Harebrained Hare!" he declared.

"His name's just Harebrain, Toulouse."

"Right…well, that's what I said! Come on, Uncle Cecil!"

Cecil sighed as Toulouse rushed off. "I swear, this kid's gonna run me into the ground…."

* * *

 _Several days later…_

Very carefully, Toulouse peered around the corner of the building, careful to not be spotted by any guards. So far, so good; he'd not only snuck past security, but he'd also managed to lose his uncle, who'd told him that they were getting on their flight in less than an hour. His uncle was going to kill him for this, and so would his father, when he heard about it. But Toulouse didn't really care.

 _There he is!_ His uncle and father would be on him for this, but he figured it was worth it when he got a glimpse of Harebrain. The hare was dressed immaculately in a blue and white tabard, this one adorned with an ornate cross on the front, and wearing a black cavalier hat with a white feather, which looked to be damaged from battle. He was chatting cheerfully with several reporters, who were shoving mics in his face every which way.

Toulouse prepared to step out, but he paused. Most celebrities he encountered were not nearly as glamorous as they were on television; in fact, they were quite snobbish. Could this Harebrain be just as bad? Or, after all he learned about him, possibly even worse? He looked down at himself and groaned. He looked more like a busboy than someone who should meet with an amazing hero like him!

For the last five days, he'd spent the rest of his vacation at the library, trying to read up information on the world of fencing, but most of all, learning about Harebrain himself. He'd absorbed a lot of information over the last few days, and he'd driven his uncle crazy with how much he was talking about the hare.

Harebrain Hare was the _nom de guerre_ of Sebastian Lièvre, a French-American who was proud of his national heritage—and preferred being called by his real name in public. Just going off of his pseudonym, one would be tempted to believe he was crazy. He wasn't-he just performed impulsive stunts to save people, hence the name. An honored and beloved national hero, he'd saved kings and queens, princes and princesses, lords and damsels in distress. There were even rumors that he'd slayed dragons.

In all honesty, Toulouse that the dragon part was fake, but a national hero with that many honors over a thirty year period was nothing to laugh at. And Sebastian was also a lot older than he'd thought he'd be-most people in their late 60's slowed down, but if anything, his energy level increased with age.

He had a lot of questions to ask, but what if Sebastian was nothing like he was in the books? Or even worse, what if he turned out to be a phony?

His thoughts were interrupted when someone snatched him by his arm. The next thing Toulouse knew, he'd been slammed into the wall. Crud. He hadn't been paying attention and the guard he'd been avoiding, a brown-furred dachshund, had caught up with him. "There you are!" he snapped. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to, you thief on the half-shell!"

"I-I just wanted to ask him some questions," Toulouse shot back.

The dachshund squinted at him with one eye. "You a reporter?" he asked.

"W-Well, no, but-"

"Then no questions," the guard said, picking him up. "I swear, you fans and their crazy excuses..."

Toulouse was nearly to the gate when another voice entered the fray. "Is there any trouble, Henri?"

The dachshund turned around, taking Toulouse with him. Toulouse's eyes widened. Harebrain himself was standing there, puzzlement on his face as he looked at the guard and then at Toulouse.

Toulouse swallowed as he met the older hare's gaze. _Oh, great…some way to make a first impression._

"U-Um…" he stammered.

"M-Mr. Sebastian!" the guard said. "Forgive me…this fan of yours was trying to disturb you…"

"I-I was not!" Toulouse cried out. "I was trying to ask him a few questions!"

"Oh? Are you a student at a university, perhaps?" Harebrain asked. "There are fans who go to university."

"Well, no…more like a tourist," Toulouse explained. "A-Anyway, I wasn't trying to interrupt to disturb you. S-Sorry I even-"

"Oh, there's no need to apologize, _petit tortue_ ," Harebrain answered swiftly. He smiled, and Toulouse felt the compassion coming from it. "You said you had a few questions, didn't you?"

Toulouse nodded. "U-Um, yeah…."

Harebrain looked up at the guard holding him. "You can set him down, Henri."

"You sure? The last time you asked me to let you see a fan-"

"He doesn't look like he'd try to kill me, Henri," Harebrain answered. "You can set him down and then return to your post."

The dachshund nodded and set Toulouse on the ground as asked. He turned to leave, but not before saying to Toulouse, "Don't try anythin', turtle." He then walked back to his post.

"Forgive him. He's a little overprotective of me," Harebrain answered, making Toulouse turn back around. The hare had a sheepish smile on his face. "I suppose it comes with the territory of being a hero. People have tried to kill me before."

Well, that was a fact they'd left out in the books. "R-Right…"

"What's your name, young man?" he asked. "I don't want to simply call you _petit tortue_ during our conversation."

"Oh, uh...it's Toulouse. Toulouse Turtle."

"Toulouse?" Harebrain asked.

"Yeah," Toulouse answered, sighing. "My parents wanted to make sure I remember where I come from. I've never liked it. It sounds so girly…"

"…I don't think it's a bad name. In my honest opinion, I think it sounds wonderful," he said. "Take pride in your name, and where it comes from, Toulouse."

That was a surprise. Or rather, it was the nicest thing anybody other than his family had to say about his name. "Thanks…"

"Now, Toulouse," Harebrain started, "what questions did you have to ask?"

"I-I uh…" Toulouse wanted to slap himself. _Snap out of the starstruck staring! Just ask him!_ "Is it true that there are still knights and heroes today?"

Harebrain stared at him in surprise, and then he chuckled. Toulouse groaned. _Great, now he thinks I'm an idiot,_ he thought. "Oh, just-"

"Oh, oh, no…I was going to say 'Obviously there are, where have you been?' But you did say that you were a tourist," Harebrain answered. "You're from America as well, aren't you?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Ah, that makes sense. There aren't a lot of American Knights and heroes," Harebrain remarked. "Three of my best friends, however, are American like me, only they leave the fighting to me, saying they want no part of this 'hero business'. And then there's no interest in the American heroes of old..."

"Um, Mr. Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"I think you're getting off track…" Toulouse said.

"Hmm? _Oh_ , right, you asked about today's knights and heroes. My apologies," Harebrain said, giving him a nervous smile. "Rambling is a very bad habit of mine. I need to stop that…" He cleared his throat. "But to answer your first question, yes, there are still knights and heroes today. Every country has them. For some reason, today's heroes aren't as heard of as the ones of old. Some countries don't speak of them. America, I believe, doesn't speak of them. I think most of the people think they're fairytales."

"Oh…that might explain why I've never heard of them," Toulouse answered.

"There's a society for them now, stationed here in France," Harebrain said. "It's one of the few that's still running."

"What's it called?"

"The World Society of Heroes. Not a very creative name, but it does what it's set out to do," Harebrain said.

"I didn't read about that in my books..."

Harebrain chuckled. "I wouldn't imagine you'd find the Society in those books," he said. "Most books don't mention them."

"So, is it like a Justice League kind of thing?"

"Almost. Although thank goodness they came around when they did," Harebrain said. "It's not like the old days where many worked solo. Nowadays, you can choose your partners or have them assigned to you."

"Wow…"

"Now, what was your second question?" Harebrain asked.

"Oh yeah, um…I was wondering about this. After I saw the tournament, I looked up a little bit about fencing, and I was confused about this one thing…"

"Which was?"

"Well, in fencing, you're supposed to hit around the upper parts of the body or your back," Toulouse said. "But what you did wasn't fencing. You kept hitting Jean-Henri's body."

"Oh, that's épée," Harebrain explained. "In that sport, the entire body is your target. It looks slightly easier, but it requires a lot of practice and creativity. You have to be light on your feet and try to hit your opponent's body before they hit you."

"That split you did was incredible," he said.

"That also took me out of competing for a few days," Harebrain said, chuckling when he saw Toulouse's eyes go wide. "I suppose that's what I get for doing new tricks when I'm this old. But it was still fun to get that win against a fine opponent."

Toulouse stared at him like he was nuts. "Fine opponent? He refused to shake your hand!"

"True, he did have poor sportsmanship. But I've dealt with it many times, so I've stopped worrying about it too much," Harebrain said. "As I like to say, 'Out of sight, out of mind'."

"Huh…" Toulouse muttered. "Well, I had one more question."

"And what's that?"

"Is there any way I can learn how to-"

 _"_ _Toulouse!"_

 _Crud!_ Toulouse turned around to see his uncle Cecil standing there behind the gate, glaring at him. He tried to send him a sheepish, innocent smile, but it quickly turned into a cringe upon seeing his uncle's expression narrow.

"Is that your family?" Harebrain asked.

"Yeah…my uncle Cecil. We're flying out today, but I wanted to come see you and ask, regardless," Toulouse answered. "I don't exactly have a long-distance phone plan."

"You don't have a computer, either?"

Toulouse groaned. "I had one, but my dad took it away."

"How unfortunate. I do believe I have a website for my fencing school, but it's rather shoddy," Harebrain said. He frowned. "I really should have Edith look into-"

"Toulouse, if you don't get over here _right now_ , I'm going to come in there and drag you out!" Cecil threatened.

Although he had a lot more questions, Toulouse knew he'd better get out of there before his uncle publicly embarrassed him. "Well, I guess I'd better get going. My uncle is going to kill me for this," he said.

"Oh, wait! I never did get your other question," Harebrain started.

"Well…I was asking if there was anyway I could learn how to fence, but it sounds silly of me-"

"Young man, that does not sound silly in the slightest!" Harebrain admonished. For the first time since the conversation, his expression was stern, although Toulouse could sense no malice in his eyes. "If you want to do something, then do it! And if you're interested in it, then do it! You'll get nowhere merely wanting or questioning how it sounds!"

Toulouse didn't get to answer, for Harebrain reached inside his shirt for something. "Now where did I put it-oh! Here it is." He pulled out a folded set of papers of papers and handed it to him. "I want you to take this."

Toulouse looked down at the papers, his eyes widened when he saw the logo reading "The Harebrain Hare School for Heroes", decorated in blue and gold. He swallowed back a huge lump in his throat. "A-An admission form?! Sir, this is…"

 _"_ _Toulouse…"_

"Coming, Uncle Cecil!" Toulouse shouted. He turned back to Harebrain, who looked at him with a pleased smile. "T-Thank you, sir…I don't know what to do with this…"

"Trust me, if you know what you want, you'll know what to do," Harebrain advised. he gave him a small wink. "Now run along."

Toulouse thanked him and hurried over to his uncle, who looked about ready to strangle him as he passed through the gate. "H-Hey…"

His uncle smacked him over the head with his phone. "Don't you _ever_ do that again! I nearly called the police!" Cecil yelled.

"Sorry, Uncle Cecil…" Toulouse muttered, rubbing his head.

"Geez, you're going to be the death of me, kid," he muttered.

Toulouse quickly filtered him out as he looked down at the admissions packet Harebrain had given him—an admission packet for his fencing school. Even as his uncle yelled at him on the way to the airport, Toulouse's mind was filled with images. Images of himself as a sword-wielding hero, saving women in distress and getting all the glory for it.

Oh, yeah. He'd be looking at this packet later.

* * *

"So that's how ya met Harebrain?"

"Mm-hmm. And that's when I decided to take up fencing," Touché explained. "I never really had a love for anything until I came to France. But when I saw those tournaments and met Harebrain, it ignited something in me. For the first time in my life, I found something I was passionate about."

"So what'd ya do?"

"I drove my parents crazy by asking them a million questions about fencing," Touché chuckled. "They told me not to, but I applied to be his pupil after I did my research on his hero school. My parents didn't agree with that. They even tried to disown me."

"W-What did you do?"

"Can't you tell, Dum-Dum? I left!"

Dum-Dum's eyes were wide. "Ya left your family?" he demanded.

"I'd finally found something I'd wanted to do," Touché said, "and I wasn't going to let them stop me like they'd done before." He sighed. "It wasn't the easiest decision to make, but I managed."

The tone of his voice told him that he wouldn't budge on the matter. "Geez…"

"My uncle Cecil helped me get back to France, and I turned in my application form. I worked hard to earn some money to pay the base price for a few months." He sighed. "It was rough, those first six months. I thought I hadn't got accepted and moved there for nothing…"

"T-Then what happened?"

"At the end of the last month, I got a visit from Harebrain himself. You know what he told me? He said I'd been accepted for over a month, but I hadn't known because I was busy with my job!"

"Wow…most people would've left you behind by then, Touche."

"That is true. Anyway, I offered to pay, but he refused, instead deciding to take me under his wing, free of charge."

"Free of charge? Wow…" Dum-Dum said.

"Yeah. So from day one, I was learning from the best of the best. I quickly discovered that I was good at fencing. I got so good at it that he stopped nicknaming me 'little turtle' and nicknamed me 'Touché'. I liked that nickname more than my real name," Touché said. "So I applied to have it changed."

"So that's how ya got your name changed…."

"Yeah. Harebrain wasn't that fond of that, though. But back to my studying. I quickly found out why they called Sebastian 'Harebrain' firsthand. He was reckless, but he never did anything illegal. And he never quit," Touché answered.

"Uh…I remember that Julien guy sayin' you guys got paid a lot of gold. What made ya so greedy?" Dum-Dum asked.

"I'll be honest, Dum-Dum. When I learned that Harebrain and other heroes were getting paid several bags in gold for their actions, that got my attention," he said. "I used to hoard my money like a dragon. I didn't care what I had to do to get it either, so long as I got it."

Dum-Dum's eyes were wide. "Wow…ya don't even look like the type who'd do that, Touché," he said.

"Oh, believe me, I did that, and worse. A couple of years into school, Harebrain started to send us on paid assignments. I lied on some of my reports so I could get the most money," Touché answered.

Dum-Dum stared at him aghast. "I can't believe that, Touché…"

"I told you I was pretty awful back then. And I got a few enemies for it, too. One of them was Harebrain's own apprentice, this cat named Jean-Claude. We both drove him crazy because we fought so much. After I humiliated him after one match, he brought up everything I ever did—right in front of Harebrain. He left in a huff, leaving me with Harebrain. And boy was he mad…"

"What did he do?"

"Well, I thought I was going to get kicked out after he'd found out everything. But what he did instead surprised me," he said.

* * *

Touché hurried after his teacher, who was walking briskly to the Hero Service office. He hadn't said much to him after Jean-Claude's outburst, but he'd given him the most chilling glare he'd ever received in his life. Nobody, not even his own father at his angriest, had ever glared at him like that, filled with so much disappointment and disgust.

Touché gulped nervously. He was surely getting kicked out, he knew it. No one in their right mind would keep him on after learning all that he'd done.

Harebrain flung open the door to the Hero Service office and the Taskmaster, an old mountain goat, was there, organizing the gold coins and munching on a glass cup. She barely gave Harebrain notice as he stormed up to the front.

"Is it true that Touché has been turning in false reports?" he demanded.

The goat answered without missing a beat. "Figured one day he'd caught for it," she said. "I knew somethin' was off about the numbers he was turnin' in."

"And you let this slip by?"

"Hey, my job's to give your students their tasks and their pay, not mother them," the Taskmaster said, before chewing her cup again.

Touché tried to back out of the room, but Harebrain's sharp glare stopped him cold. "Is that so?"

"I'm afraid so."

Shame and fear ate away at Touché's mind. _Oh, dear. I've really messed up now,_ he thought. _Thanks a lot, Jean-Claude! You had to open your mouth and put my feet in it!_

"So, what're you going to do with him?" she asked.

"I have an idea in mind," Harebrain answered.

"A-Are you going to expel me, sir?" Touché asked nervously.

"After what you've done behind my back, I should," Harebrain answered. "But I'm not going to."

Touché stared at him with wide eyes. Even the Taskmaster looked vaguely interested, pausing in eating her glass cup.

"Y-You're not?" he asked.

"No," Harebrain said. "In fact, I will personally give you your punishment, Touché. For the next four weeks, you will be accompanying me on my missions. We'll be trekking all over the country and to other countries as well since my services are required far and wide."

 _That_ was his punishment? It was more like a dream come true; he'd always wanted to go on one of his mentor's missions, but he was told he 'wasn't ready' for it. He sighed in relief. "Oh, that's all? Well thank you, Se-"

"And during that time, Emma," Harebrain said, still facing Touché said, "I want you to withhold all rewards."

"W-Withhold rewards?" Touché said.

"In other words, you won't get paid for a month," Emma said.

 _"_ _What?!"_ Touché stared at Harebrain as though he were crazy. "B-But the good deeds are-"

"I know how the system works, Touché. I'm a hero myself, you know. But at my school, I have the right to withhold rewards from heroes who cheat their way to wealth," Harebrain answered. "Another thing I could do, if I were very angry, would be to kick you out and make sure you have nothing but that hat on your head."

"Y-You'd even take my money?!"

"That money belongs to everyone, namely heroes who deserved it more than you did," Harebrain said harshly. He fixed Touché with an angry glare. "It's time you learn a hard lesson about hard work…and how the other half lives." His angry expression cooled, although there was still that disappointment in his eyes. "Are we clear on that, Touché?"

Too stunned to form a reply, Touché gave him a nod.

"Good. It wouldn't do you any good if I simply expelled you here and now," Harebrain said. "You have a lot to learn, starting first thing in the morning."

"Already?"

"The sooner, the better, as we say in America."

* * *

Dum-Dum stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow…that must've been tough," he replied.

"It was. At first, I thought that he was crazy. 'What's the point of doing a good deed if I'm not getting paid for it?' I thought. I even asked him. And he didn't tell me until my punishment was up. He said, and I quote, 'You're not wealthy until you're rich in character'."

"Uh…I don't get it," Dum-Dum replied.

"It means that having money is nothing if you're a jerk, Dum-Dum."

"Oh…yeah, that makes sense when ya put it that way," Dum-Dum replied.

"I didn't get it at first, either, but that phrase opened my eyes, Dum-Dum. He was happy to help people, even when we were barely getting paid," Touché said. "One incident always got to me. On the last week of my punishment, an older man had lost his house in a fire. He spent days trying to find him another place so he could be close to his family. He paid for the guy's house, too, on top of the stuff he usually did."

"Shouldn't he have gone broke?"

"From what his daughter told me, he nearly did when he was younger. His wife told him to stop doing that, but he never listened," Touché answered. "He wasn't like others who gave away their money to show off. He did it because he loved people. And seeing his compassion and love for people changed me, Dum-Dum."

* * *

Harebrain's voice reached Touché, who was sitting at his desk. "Touché, have you finished drafting the plans for your hero service?"

"I just finished, Sebastian," Touché answered, setting down his pen. He turned to face his teacher, who had his hand on his épée. "I had a little trouble working on the pricing, but I think I finally got it."

"Here, let me have a look," Harebrain said.

Touché handed him the stack of papers, and Harebrain pulled out his reading glasses from inside his shirt pocket. He'd started needing them more frequently, Touché noticed. "Hmm…so you're planning on taking this service globally instead of through a particular continent?"

"Well, I love being here, but I want to probably go to other cities as well," Touché explained.

"I see…" Harebrain muttered as he looked through the rest of the papers. He got to the second-to-last page and stopped, his eyes widening in surprise. "Why…Touché! You're going to charge this much for your services?!"

Touché chuckled. "Yeah…"

"But…this…this is the bare minimum! You know if you do this, you could be broke if you don't get work in months!"

"Well, I put a lot of thought into it," Touché answered, "and I considered raising it slightly, but I figured I wouldn't be fair to the people who are coming to me. A lot of these people are poor, Sebastian. I want them to know that I'll do an exceptional job—and they can put their money troubles out of mind because I won't overcharge them."

Harebrain stared at him, shocked. "But you…Touché, that's-"

"Sebastian, working with you last month made me realize something," Touché said. "Three years ago, I was a terrible person. If you asked me why I wanted to become a hero, I would've told you 'for money'. I also would've told you 'for glory'. But when I got in trouble and you made me see the people we were helping—and I mean, _really see_ them—it made me see how selfish I was. And it made me think that I wasn't good enough to be a hero like you."

Harebrain remained silent, just watched him while he continued.

"I know this probably won't make up for three years of being a colossal jerk to everyone, but I got sick of seeing how I was acting. I cringe when I think of all I've done," he said. "And…well…I want to make it up somehow. One shouldn't do a good deed just to make themselves look good. One should do a good deed out of the goodness of their hearts. What you taught me, Sebastian, I'll never forget. And I wanted to incorporate that in my service, so…"

Harebrain stared at him for a long moment, and Touché shrank under his gaze. "Um, sir?"

After what seemed like an eternity, Harebrain smiled—and it was the greatest smile that he'd ever received from him, filled with warmth, joy and fatherly affection. He paused to wipe a tear from his eye. "Touché…that is very commendable of you," he answered finally. "I don't think I could be prouder."

Touché's face lit up with joy. "R-Really? Well, it was nothing really-"

"Don't say that. What you're doing _is_ something special. It means a lot to people when you think of them first instead of yourself," Harebrain interrupted. "So don't say that it's nothing special. It means a lot to your future clients. Now, come over here."

Touché got down from his chair. "Yes?"

Harebrain reached over and took off his baseball cap. "W-What are you-"

He stopped when Harebrain took off his white cavalier hat and placed it on his head. It immediately fell over his eyes, and Harebrain laughed. "Well, I figured it wouldn't fit on your head right away," he said. "You are a little turtle, after all. You'll probably have to have it specially fitted."

"But this is your battle trophy," Touché said. "You never go anywhere without it."

"It's not the only battle trophy I have, you know," Harebrain explained. "I only give my trophies to pupils who have earned them. It is a sign that you have graduated from being a novice, to a man of character, nobility and heroic status." He smiled at Touché, who pulled up the brim of the hat to stare at him. "I've watched you grow these past few years, and I'm pleased to say that you've more than earned your place as my prized pupil."

Touché took off the hat and stared at it, his mind running through with what Harebrain had just said. He didn't think he was hero material yet…but hearing that his mentor did, and seeing how proud he was of him, made his heart soar with pure elation. He swallowed back a lump in his throat and looked up at Harebrain at last. "Thank you, Sebastian," he answered. "I'll treasure this forever."

"I'm glad you will. Besides," Harebrain replied, "I think white and red suits you more than me, no?"

They both laughed, and Harebrain steered him out into the hallway. "Now come on. Let's grab something to eat, huh?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

"Wow…that's amazing, Touché. I'm really glad ya changed," Dum-Dum said, an awestruck tone in his voice.

"Thanks, Dum-Dum," Touché answered. "To be honest, I was proud of myself, too. And unlike what I'd been doing before, I did it to improve myself instead of show off."

"Ya really looked up to Harebrain, huh?"

"Yeah. He was more than just my teacher. He was like a father to me; he treated almost every student like they were his own kids." Touché's gaze became depressed. "That made his death even worse."

Dum-Dum felt a lump form in his throat. He had a feeling that the next part wasn't going to be pleasant. "Aw, Touche…ya don't have ta tell me," he said.

"No…no, I think I should. It'll make you understand why I got so angry at the Black Knight, and what he said," Touché said. "I-It's kinda hard to tell you, so…"

Dum-Dum swallowed back a lump, and he nodded. "I-I'm listenin', Touche."

"Not long after naming me his star pupil, there were rumors of a knight in black armor going around robbing people, then burning their homes. Sebastian and I went to a local village investigate, but the Black Knight ambushed us. I barely had time to react before I got knocked out. When I came to, half of the town was ablaze."

"W-What'd ya do?"

Touché didn't say anything for a moment, but his face said it all. "T-Touche?" he asked, leaning forward in concern. "You okay?"

"I-I will be, old friend," he said, looking up at Dum-Dum. His eyes were clouding over with tears. "I've gotten this far in the story. I might as well finish it."

* * *

Touché raced out of the house, smoke in his lungs and his shell feeling like it was roasted. A soft cry filled his ears and he looked down at the small baby in a dark peach blanket, shrieking at the sight of him. He sighed. "I-It's alright. I'll return you to your mother soon," he muttered.

When he'd woken up from the ambush, he'd heard a woman screaming that her baby trapped in a house, and being nearby, leapt into action. In hindsight, running into a burning home with no protection was a hotheaded thing to do-more like a Harebrain thing to do-but at least another life wasn't lost. There was no telling how many the Black Knight had already killed.

Half-stumbling into the cool streets, he made his way over to the distraught mother, who was being held back by several villagers from running inside the house herself. It was a battle to not collapse into a coughing heap. Clearing his throat, he said, "S-She should be safe, ma'am…"

"Oh!" The woman scooped her crying baby into her arms. Tears of relief streamed down her face. "Thank you so much."

"N-No problem…" Touché began, only to erupt into a coughing fit.

"You alright, little guy?" someone asked.

Touché couldn't answer even if he wanted to, as he was still coughing the smoke out of his lungs.

As he was recovering, someone shouted, "That guy over there's fightin' the Black Knight!"

"What guy?"

"Yeah! Nobody around here can fight him!" another man said.

"Why…is that Harebrain?" the woman asked.

Touché perked up from that. _…So he's alright after all. Thank goodness. I'll hurry over there and-_

His relief quickly evaporated when the villagers screamed, and one of men shouted, "Oh, god, _no_!"

Touché turned around.

The Black Knight's looming figure and heavy armor blocked most of his view, but Touché caught a glimpse of Harebrain's face, and the sight drove ice into his veins. His mentor's yellow eyes were wider than saucers, pain and shock beyond words resonating in them. His eyes briefly glanced over to Touché, and fear fought through the pain.

Touché's entire body froze with horror, his face going as white as a sheet. _No...no, no, no-_

Harebrain drew in a breath to speak, but the Black Knight pushed his sword in further, and the only thing that spilled out of his mouth was a wad of blood, which coated the Black Knight's sword arm.

Sensing the crowd's gaze, the Black Knight turned around to face them, turning Harebrain around with him. The older hare hung on the Black Knight's sword like meat on a skewer, twitching with pain. Deep gashes lined his legs, his right ear was gone, his right arm was mangled and limp and his left foot was crushed. Scarlet dripped on the stone road.

The villagers screamed, but Touché remained silent, horror having robbed his voice. _NO!_

The Black Knight looked up at the twitching Harebrain, and his armor quaked with laughter. "Time's up, old man," he hissed, and swiftly flung Harebrain off his ord. Blood trailed along the stone ground as he crashed into the base of the fountain. He struggled to sit up, breathing raggedly. The Black Knight kicked him down. He slumped over with a rattled breath, and then lay still.

At last, Touché found his voice. _"_ _Sebastian!"_ he screamed.

The villagers ran for their lives, and the Black Knight laughed, kicking Harebrain in the stomach again. "What are you waiting for, Touché?" he asked mockingly, kicking him a third time. "You're not going to stand there and watch me kick him around, are you? You're his prized pupil, for crying out loud!"

Touché stood in the middle of the empty, burning street, his eyes locked on the Black Knight, who continued to laugh as he beat on the fallen hare.

No…no, he wasn't a knight. Knights had honor. Knights had chivalry and class. Knights valued a person's life. This animal was no knight. He had no honor, no chivalry, no class—and he was slowly, cruelly slaughtering his mentor, his second father, in front of his very eyes, and laughing about it.

Anger finally exploded past the shock, and he charged the Black Knight like a bull, red filling his vision.

 ** _"YOU MONSTER!"_** he roared, his voice echoing through the streets.

The Black Knight turned around, bloodstained blade poised to stab him, but Touché slid under his legs and expertly picked up Harebrain's épée, which was right next to the fallen hare. The sight of his mentor's mutilated body only increased his rage.

"Someone's mad," the Black Knight remarked casually. Moonlight shone on the blade, making it glow silver on one end and red on the other. "Then again, I shouldn't expect less from that phony's _prized pupil_." He spat the last two words as though they were poison.

"You…you shouldn't have done that…" Touché snarled. He fought to focus through the tears of rage and sorrow that were clouding his vision. "You've just gone and made me _mad_!"

"Oh? And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to make you _pay_!" Touché shouted, before charging at him. _"I'll never forgive you for this!"_

Metal rang out through the empty street as Touché and the Black Knight battled, the Black Knight parrying and deflecting Touché's wild and frenzied strikes. Touché flipped the sword up, and thrust forward, smacking against the armor. He thrust again, and again, and again, hitting as hard as he could. Even as he did so, it didn't dent, and he angrily cursed the infernal material. _Why won't it break?!_

 _CLANG!_

The Black Knight stumbled back, a tiny hole punctured in his side armor. Touché, exhausted from using an adrenaline-fueled attack, looked down at his mentor's épée. The tip was bent out of shape due to his frenzied thrusting. If he didn't think of a plan, he'd break his weapon-

The Black Knight was upon him before he could blink. Touché quickly raised his sword to defend himself, only for it to be flipped out of his hands and land next to Harebrain's lifeless body again. _Crud!_

The Black Knight's sword swept under his feet, and Touché found himself on his back. He struggled to turn over on his right side, but the Black Knight's foot slammed on his arm, and the heat racing through his armor caused him to cry out in pain. The Black Knight loomed into view, sword poised at his underbelly. Not even retreating into his shell would help him now.

"You will rue the day you crossed me, Touché!" he snarled.

Touché saw his life flash before his eyes as the Black Knight raised his sword. _I-Is this it? Is this how I'm going to die? I never even got to talk to my parents for the last time!_ Swallowing audibly, he screwed his eyes shut bracing for the final blow.

 _"_ _NO!"_

 _Wait...isn't that-_

The sound of steel crashing through metal interrupted his thoughts. The soft, sloshing sound of steel meeting flesh came next and the Black Knight screamed in pain. Touché opened his eyes, only to quickly retreat into his shell as the Black Knight's sword fell and clattered on top of his underbelly. It'd fallen on its side, thank goodness, but he wasn't taking any chances.

It was then that he was aware of something wet dripping into his shell. He smelled iron and grimaced. Blood? Where had-

A raspy voice filled his ears. "Don't…touch…him."

Peering out of his shell, Touché found himself struck dumb with shock as he stared at an impossible sight.

Harebrain was hovering above him, on his bad knee, blood dripping onto his underbelly and his face. His épée was currently in the Black Knight's side, having pierced straight through the armor. Blood trickled down the Black Knight's leg. Although the hare was breathing heavily due to his injuries, he was steady. Even more so, he was angry, the fury in his yellow eyes striking awe in Touché. He'd never seen a look like that on the hare's face.

 _Sebastian's alive...but how?_

The Black Knight buckled to his knees, shaking from pain. _"You…!"_

"… _Don't_ touch him." Harebrain's eyes locked with the Black Knight's helmet. There was no mistaking the fury in his voice now. "Or you will regret it…"

The Black Knight started to respond, but the air came alive with the voices of an angry crowd. He swore softly. "I should've escaped when I had the chance..."

"I'll give you your chance." Harebrain yanked his sword out hard, and the Black Knight let out a grunt of pain, stumbling back. "Leave here...and don't even think of coming here again."

It gave Touché a sense of grim satisfaction when he saw the Black Knight stumble to his feet and snatch his sword from his stomach. That quickly disappeared when he pointed it at his face, the tip of the blade inches away from his snout. He could feel the hate coming from him, striking fear into his soul.

"I've already done what I...came here to do..." Upon hearing the villagers' voices coming closer, he snarled, "This isn't over, turtle. Next time we meet, I'll kill you. You hear? I _will_ kill you!"

"There's the Black Knight! After him!" a villager shouted.

The Black Knight stumbled away hurriedly, disappearing into the forest behind the burning homes faster than Touché thought possible. A few seconds later, the villagers came running over, torches and pitchforks in their hands.

"He went over there! You two, run after him!" a short, stocky man ordered, pointing at two tall, bony men.

"Right!" they shouted, and ran into the forest after the Black Knight.

Horrified gasps filled Touché's ears as the rest of the village surrounded them. The man who'd noticed the fight earlier stopped in front of him, a torch in his hand. The fire cast an orange glow over his ashen face as he stared at Harebrain. "Oh _God..._ "

Touché fought to sit up, but that was when a choked gasp escaped his mentor's lips. He looked up in horror as Harebrain collapsed, rolling onto his side, his sword clattering to the ground. Immediately, most of the villagers ran to his side.

"Here, Touché. Let me help you," the man said.

Touché gave him the smallest of thanks. He ran over to his mentor, who was being held by one of the female villagers. Harebrain's head lolled over to the side, his breathing small and shallow. Blood seeped into the ground and the woman's clothes.

 _"Sebastian!"_ he choked out, kneeling before his mentor. "Please, answer me!"

Harebrain let out a small groan as he looked up at him. His eyes were filled with relief, but there was sadness there too. "T-Thank goodness…y-you're not hurt," he said. He coughed, and a little bit of blood dribbled down the side of his face. "Seems…this is the end of the road for me, Touché…"

"N-No, it's not…you can't give up," Touché said, his voice cracking on the last part. He gripped his mentor's hand. "I-I'll save you. If I can get the doctor, he can…he can…!"

"He can what, Touché?" Harebrain asked softly, his eyes closing. "He'd put me out of my misery…"

"You can't be serious..." one of the men said.

"He's not wrong on that." The man who ordered a party after the Black Knight stepped forward. His face was forlorn, filled with sorrow as he looked down at him. "Look at him. Even for an animal folk, he's..."

Touché swallowed heavily. He knew just what the man was implying. He swallowed back a lump, his eyes burning. "D-Don't say that, S-Sebastian…"

"Are you crying…for an old hare like me?" Harebrain asked. There was a wistful tone in his voice, even in in his smile.

"W-Who wouldn't...?" he choked out.

"You're too kind, Touché. But don't grieve. I did what I was put on this earth to do…and I will be rewarded for it." His grip on Touché's hand tightened. "Touché…don't ever give up. K-Keep doing what I taught you…a-and never forget it…"

Horror gripped Touché's heart. "S-S-Sebastian, _no_!" he cried.

"…Fight…the good fight, Touché…"

With a slow exhale, he fell limp, his hand slipping through Touché's. Touché stared at the body of his mentor, guilt, sadness, and horror weighing down on him all at once.

Sebastian Liévre, his mentor, his hero, his second father, was dead.

The villagers around him began to mourn, and a few of the men around him took off their hats in respect for the fallen hare. "Hail and farewell, Harebrain," the leader replied.

Touché remained silent for a while, staring at Harebrain's dead body. He felt the urge to do many things then: scream, run, punch or stab something. He wanted to go after the Black Knight and put an end to his sorry life for giving him this horrible emptiness.

But the grief overcame the anger. He gathered Harebrain's head into his arms, laid his forehead against his, and sobbed.

* * *

"…D-Dum-Dum?" Touché choked out, fear in his voice as he looked at his friend. The sheepdog was ghastly pale and shaking, his muzzle stained with tear tracks. He stood up cautiously. "Dum-Dum, are you-"

Dum-Dum clapped a hand over his mouth. "I-I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"Dum-Dum?!"

The sheepdog abruptly jumped up from his chair, stumbled over to the window, curled over the sill and heaved. Touché grimaced, his own stomach churning as he heard the dog empty the contents of his stomach. _Maybe I overdid it a little...I only hope there aren't any villagers below._

That part had been beyond difficult for him, especially with describing the grisly details of his mentor's death, but he'd somehow managed through it without a complete breakdown, as well as feeling that sugarcoating the Black Knight's actions would lessen the impact it had on him.

It was then that he became aware of the wetness on his face, and he wiped his face. When he looked up again, Dum-Dum was still curled over the windowsill, shuddering. Touché walked over to him in concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine," Dum-Dum breathed out, raising himself from the windowsill and wiping his muzzle. "R-Really, I-"

"You are _not_ fine," Touché interrupted, using Dum-Dum's exact words. He pulled Dum-Dum away from the window. "Come on, sit down. I'll get you a glass of water."

Dum-Dum remained silent, concentrating on swallowing back bile as he sat in the stool. "T-T-That's…T-That's a-awful, Touché. H-How did you deal with that...?" he muttered.

"I didn't deal with it very well. Sebastian told me to never forget what he taught me…but I did after his death. I went right back to doing good deeds for money again. Working with Nico helped me snap out of it, but then I did it again when I lost him, too," he said. He walked back inside and handed Dum-Dum his glass. "After that…after that, I never wanted to work with anybody again, afraid that I'd lose them."

"I-I can't blame ya…I-I can't blame ya a bit, Touché," Dum-Dum answered before drinking his water. The coolness helped wash down the bile, but slightly. "If I-I had all that goin' on, I-I don't think I'd be the same…"

"I haven't been the same ever since the Black Knight entered my life." Touché balled his hand into a fist. "Now you see why I have to do this, Dum-Dum? He's robbed people of their lives and left so many people grieving. I owe it to them to get justice for all the people he's endangered or killed."

"Especially for Harebrain and Nico?"

"Especially for them. They're the reasons I fight, Dum-Dum," Touché answered. "I have a lot of family, but Harebrain and Nico were my family away from family. Harebrain was like a second father, and Nico was like a younger brother. Showing him the ropes, how to fence, how to act…some would say that I was the teacher, but since we weren't that far apart in age, I always saw him as the little brother."

"You were never a big brother?"

"No. I'm the youngest in my family, so that's why everyone was so protective of me," Touché answered.

"So…what did you originally fight for when ya became a hero?"

"Originally? I guess you could say I fought for love and glory. I wanted everyone to love me and I wanted praise for my deeds," Touché said. He shook his head disapprovingly. "But now…now I fight to keep my mentor's spirit alive, to continue his legacy. I still like doing hero work for payment…but the reason I do it at cheap prices is to remind myself why I do them." He looked down at his hat, remorse in his eyes. "He taught me what being a hero is all about. It's not about admiration or the glory. It's about helping people. And I don't want to ever forget that again. I don't want to his legacy, what he spent years building, dying out."

Dum-Dum didn't answer for a moment, allowing Touché's answer to sink in. It both shocked and amazed him that Touché could recall such a horrific event in such detail, and remain sane. And somehow, despite all the tragedies he'd faced, and the mistakes he'd made, he'd still continued to fight as a hero, fighting to keep his continue his mentor's legacy amidst his own suffering. Dum-Dum knew that if he were in Touché's shoes, he would've retired, unable to bear such a burden. In fact, it would've killed him if he'd lost someone he'd called a second father.

Although he didn't want to keep prodding into the turtle's past, he had to ask him. "Hey, uh, Touché?"

"Yes, Dum-Dum?"

"…if ya never wanted to deal with people again, how come ya let me be your sidekick?" he asked.

"…I made an exception for you, Dum-Dum," Touché answered slowly. "You remember how we first met, right?"

"How can I forget?" Dum-Dum answered. Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Ya saved me from gettin' pounded into mincemeat."

"Yeah. And afterward, you followed me everywhere, saying I was your hero and how cool I was."

"An' I remember ya got mad at me 'cause I kept followin' ya. O-One time, I had ta travel all the way to that other town you lived in 'cause you left me behind."

"You broke into my house that time," Touché recalled, chuckling. "I remember the mayor got involved because of the ruckus we made." He sighed. "To be honest…I wasn't too fond of all the attention. I remember thinking to myself 'If you only knew who I really am, you wouldn't call me that."

Dum-Dum looked down at him, a pang of hurt racing through his body. He hadn't known that Touché had thought of him as just a nuisance. "But if ya didn't really want me around, how come ya never said anything?" he asked, not quite keeping the hurt out of his voice.

"I didn't have the heart to abandon you or tell you to go away," Touché admitted. "You were too nice..."

Dum-Dum's ears sank. "Everyone else has the heart to, though…"

"I'm not like everyone else," Touché said firmly, stopping Dum-Dum's remark of self-pity. "Anyway, when I realized that I couldn't tell you to leave, I decided I'd hire you as my assistant hero. I figured, 'Well, a couple of weeks with Dum-Dum around wouldn't hurt'." Despite himself, he chuckled. "Little did I know that a couple of weeks would turn into over ten years. We ended up getting along great. And after we became friends…" His smile slipped. "After we became friends, I decided to never tell you the truth. I was, for lack of a better word, scared to."

Dum-Dum stared at him, eyes wide. "B-But you never get scared, Touché! Ya even said 'scared' isn't in your vocabulary!"

"It was back then. Back then, when I traveled solo, I had few allies. There was Harebrain's daughter, Edith, and his wife, Marguerite. They helped me amidst their own grief…and then there was Julien."

"You don't have ta go into too much detail, Touche."

"Family members aside, I had no real friends. People knew all about my deeds, but didn't know me. I built up this image of being untouchable and fearless to keep people away, but I ended up feeling alone in the hero business."

"Wow…"

"And then I met you, a person who genuinely liked me despite not knowing a thing about me or my past. Most would've left as soon as they learned of my past. But you stayed," Touché replied. "You'd follow me to the ends of the earth, no matter what I do."

Dum-Dun remained silent as Touché continued, "After what happened to Nico, I didn't want to open my heart to anybody, afraid of losing them to my past. And when we became friends, I was scared that would happen again. That's why I never told you the truth, because I didn't want to lose you—not to battle, but to my own pride and stupid mistakes."

"I-Is…is that why you decided to tell me everythin'?" Dum-Dum asked.

Silence answered his question. Dum-Dum stared at him, feeling the urge to cry once more. "Touché…"

Touché sighed. "I know, it was selfish to hold all of that back. And if you're angry, I get it. You-"

Touché was cut off when Dum-Dum reached over and hugged him. He thought he felt his shell crack. "D-Dum-Dum! How many times have I-"

"I-I told ya, Touché…I'm not really angry at ya," Dum-Dum interrupted. His voice was choked with a sob. "I'm not too happy that ya kept all that a secret…but after hearin' everythin' else, I get it."

"You do?"

"W-Well, most of it, anyway."

That wasn't too surprising. "Well, what did you get from it, Dum-Dum?" Touché asked.

"I got that my buddy Touché has way too much to deal with…but he also worries about silly things."

"Silly?" Touché removed himself from Dum-Dum, glaring up at the sheepdog. "I just told you my entire story and you say that's silly?!"

"N-No, not that part! That's serious, Touché," Dum-Dum replied. "The silly part's where you're worried about losin' me or me not bein' your pal anymore."

The anger on Touché's face left instantly. When he got his mouth working, his voice was full of disbelief. "…You still want to be my friend after learning about who I was?"

"Yup."

"After learning about what I did and failed to do?"

"Yup."

"A-After learning that I didn't even want you around at first?"

"Well, I was a lil' upset, but after hearin' what ya said, it made sense," Dum-Dum said. "Uh, I meant what I said earlier. I'm here if ya wanna say somethin'. And I don't want ya to lose yourself." He returned Touché's dumbstruck expression with a bright smile. "You'll always be my hero, but more than that, you're my pal. An' pals look out for each other. So I'll still follow ya, Touché, no matter what."

"…You big doofus…" Touché chuckled quietly.

Dum-Dum blinked. "Er, what?"

"Nothing, I was talking to myself." He sighed and then he smiled. "Thanks, Dum-Dum."

Dum-Dum scratched his muzzle, his face going slightly red. "D'awww, shucks, i-it was nothin' really," he said bashfully.

"No, it _is_ something. What you said means a lot to me," Touché replied. He put his hat back on, making sure to tip the brim around his eyes to hide his tears. "More than you can possibly know…"

Thankfully, Dum-Dum was too caught up in his elation to care. "Aw, it's no problem, Touché." He jumped up as an idea came to him. "Hey, I just remembered that we didn't eat at all today! I'll make us some dinner! How does hot dogs an' s'mores sound?"

Touché balked. "You want me to eat all that before a duel?"

"Well, eh…maybe a salad for you then, but at least eat some s'mores or somethin'," Dum-Dum replied.

"You know I don't really like sweets, Dum-Dum," Touché pointed out.

"But I bought the ingredients an' everythin'!" Dum-Dum said. "Even went to the trouble of gettin' those specialty marshmallows ya like from the other town over."

Touché paused. "Did you say the specialty marshmallows?"

Dum-Dum nodded.

"…Make sure you leave three for me."

"Roger that, Touché!"

* * *

 _The next morning…_

Touché looked at himself in the mirror, adjusting his hat—Harebrain's hat, he reminded himself—as well as picking up his épée. He examined it, with its dull gray blade and the bent tip. He brandished it a few times before pointing it at the mirror. "You haven't failed me before, Harebrain. Don't let me down now," he muttered.

It was odd, he thought, talking to his old mentor like he was still there, like he could hear him. But he figured that if he was going to bring his mentor's killer to justice, he might as well ask for his help—he could use it right then.

He turned when he heard a loud yawn. Dum-Dum was standing in the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You rest well enough, Dum-Dum?"

"Eh…not really," he said. "Can I get a cappuccino on the way to the trainin' field, Touche?"

"We don't have time for that," Touché remarked. "Besides, I know what sugar does to your body, Dum-Dum."

"Heh, yeah…" Dum-Dum's expression turned into a concerned scowl. "You gonna be alright, Touché?"

It'd be easy to tell the sheepdog that yes, he'd be alright. He'd come home victorious and when he finally defeated the Black Knight, they could celebrate with all the hot dogs and s'mores they could eat. It'd be easy to tell him that of course, he's alright, that the Black Knight isn't going to make short work of him so easily. Dum-Dum would believe it, hook, line, and sinker.

But he didn't know if he could believe it himself. He didn't know what all the Black Knight had up his sleeve, so he didn't know what to expect; training could only get him so far.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. But knowing that you're here is enough to keep me going," he replied.

Dum-Dum nodded, a small smile on his face. "Sure. Hey, uh, we'd better start trainin'. The duel's the day after tomorrow."

"Yeah, and I have ground I need to cover before then," Touché said. "To the training field, my rusty assistant."

"It's _trusty_ , Touche."

"Oh, be quiet!"

 **End of Part 2**

* * *

 _ **It was very, VERY tempting to make this chapter longer. But then it would beat Protector-Part 4 as the longest chapter of a story I've ever written. And besides, I have side stories that'll expand on it :)**_

 _ ** _ **I told you I wasn't kidding when I said this story was dark. I edited Harebrain's death scene several times to make it sound right-not super gory, but just enough so that the reader could understand why Touché was distraught over his mentor's death. I didn't feel the need to mention Nico again except near the end when Touché was wrapping up his story; he more or less confirmed that what Dum-Dum learned from Julien was true during their first conversation.  
**_**_

 _ **But yeah, this was changed from the original version which just had Touché talking to Dum-Dum about his past; here, we get to see bits and snippets of it. I didn't want to reveal every single thing about Touché here, since I felt it'll take away the mystery of his character. Even as I'm editing the third part, I'm trying to develop a character for Touché that'll serve as a model for when I work with him in future stories-kinda similar to Ricochet and Punkin' Puss. Oops, I'm doing more of those comparisons again ^^**_

 _ **Either way, it was fun to write Touché. Seeing his different sides aside from the suave, swashbuckling turtle he is in the cartoons was fun. Here, I felt he really took center stage as the main character, whereas in the original it was more squarely focused on Dum-Dum, which kind of defeated the original fight between Touché and the Black Knight. Speaking of Dum-Dum, he was great too, but I'll get to him in a moment.**_

 _ **The name Toulouse came about when I was trying to come up with a male French name other than Pierre XD And yeah, that is the name of one of the characters from "The Aristocats", so hey, at least it wasn't TOO far fetched. And it's the name of a real city in France, so that was another bonus. Still, I hope I didn't confuse people with that, or with Touché calling Harebrain by his real name, Sebastian (in the story, he likes being called by his real name).**_

 _ **Sebastian Lièvre (aka. Harebrain) was also cool to write, although in the original, he was kinda Marty Stuish. The rewritten version does have more of his character, and since we see his character from Touché's point of view, of course, the guy's going to see the best of him. Harebrain does have his faults, which I'm planning on expanding upon in other stories, namely in the prequels to FLaG.**_

 _ **I came up with the setting from watching all of the cartoons, and honestly, I like the idea of a modern-day medieval world, with the return of Old World heroes and mythical creatures such as dragons. For me, I think it's the best way to blend the mishmash of settings in the cartoon: feudal one moment and modern the next. I'm doing some research on knights and such to make it accurate, but this is Hanna-Barbera, after all. Some creative liberties can be taken in the name of fun :D**_

 _ **Writing the friendship between Touché and Dum-Dum, however, was one of my favorite themes, which kept popping up multiple times while I was writing the chapter. Dum-Dum's the kind of friend that most people almost never have, and the part where he reaffirms his friendship with Touché is one of my favorite scenes. I also had a headcanon for how they actually met (although like the other half of the story, it'll have to be expanded later), and how Touché decided to accept Dum-Dum's friendship. And while Dum-Dum's kind moments towards Touché were cool to write, seeing Touché's side was really heartwarming. He genuinely cares for his best friend, and part of that "big doofus" line was aimed at himself rather than Dum-Dum; he really shouldn't have worried about Dum-Dum breaking off their friendship. And he also kinda called Dum-Dum that because he felt he was getting a bit sappy. But yeah, friendship moments so sweet, it could give you cavities. XD**_

 _ **Next chapter will be the long-awaited fight between Touché and the Black Knight!**_

 _ **Again, I want to know your thoughts, and I want to know what could've been done better! Reviews like "this is great write more" aren't bad, but constructive criticism helps me grow as a writer, and I'd really value it so please please please review!**_

 _ **~God bless, iheartgod175**_


	3. Chapter 3: Black Dawn

**A/N:** Wasn't feeling all too hot, had schoolwork and had writer's block to deal with...but I'm back! :D I just hope there are people who are actually enjoying this story aside from myself :D

This chapter went through a lot of rewriting and tweaking. It was a difficult chapter to get through, but it resulted in one of my favorite chapters. Some of the OCs mentioned from before return, and one of them, Augustin, actually has an important role in this chapter and the next one. I won't spoil much, but I enjoyed writing him and I hope you like him as much as I do.

With that being said, here's chapter three of _For Love and Glory_!

 **Disclaimer:** I _still_ don't own _Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum._ Only my OCs. And if I did own it, this would be a comic book.

* * *

 **For Love and Glory**

 **Part 3: Black Dawn**

 _Sometime later, in another village…_

Thankfully for the Black Knight and his assistant, it was nearing the end of the day, meaning that people were starting to head home for the evening. Still, he wasn't about to take any chances, so they returned to their usual training spot—a medium-sized field in the middle of the forest, with enough trees to cover them from any passerby.

The Black Knight walked towards their spot with an unusual spring in his step. He was looking forward to their practice session. But more than that, he was looking forward to putting his practice to use on his nemesis.

His thoughts were interrupted by a worried voice asking, "D-Do we have to keep doing this?"

He turned to face his assistant. The young teenager, a tall cat with white fur spotted with light brown and black patches, looked up worriedly at him as he carried his sword.

The Black Knight chuckled. "We'll practice as many times as we need to, Augustin," he said.

"But we just finished a bout a little over an hour ago…"

"I'm aware of that, boy," the Black Knight snapped. "And we're going to continue our bouts until the day of the duel."

As they reached the center, Augustin started with, "Is it really important that you defeat Touché Turtle?"

 _I swear, if he doesn't stop asking…_ "You're not going to start with this again, are you?" the Black Knight quipped, turning around to face him. "What have I told you before?"

"That he attacked your dignity after that duel," Augustin repeated.

"That's not even half of it, and you know it, boy."

"OK, he did more than that. He acted like he was a saint when he called you out on your behavior, but really he was no better than you," Augustin recalled. His voice had taken an annoyed tone. "But by the time anyone figured that out, you'd lost all respect in the community."

"And they're all going to learn who Touché Turtle really is. After he's dead, I'll tell everyone in the Society that he was nothing more than a self-righteous social climber who didn't deserve half of what he got," the Black Knight answered.

"Look…I get that he humiliated you, but can't you let that go?" Augustin asked.

"I can _never_ let that go, Augustin. He ruined my career and future," the Black Knight answered darkly, "and he gets to go around pretending to be a hero without so much as a slap on the wrist? A load of bull." He turned to face him. "But you've already known that for years, Augustin. So I don't want you trying to tell me to change my mind."

"I'm worried about you, Dad." Augustin looked up at the Black Knight. "Touché Turtle was a jerk in the past, but now, you're-"

"Now I'm what?" The Black Knight's tone was calm, but Augustin caught the laced anger behind it.

Augustin sighed. "Please. Just let this go."

"It's too late to do that, Augustin," he said. "Touché's going to die at this duel. I'll make sure of that." He outstretched his hand. "Get ready. I'm not going to go easy on you, because I'm not going to go easy on him."

Augustin handed his father the sword and unsheathed his own. Trepidation was still present on his face, but he swallowed back his fear and shifted into attack position. "A-Alright, Dad."

With that, round ten of practice began.

* * *

 _Touché Turtle's Castle_

 _Training Grounds_

"Dum-Dum, are you even _trying_ to defend yourself?" Touché asked. This was the fifteenth time he'd broken through the sheepdog's defenses. Not that Dum-Dum could tank his attacks, but he could at least put some effort into it. "You're not supposed to stand there like a practice dummy!"

Dum-Dum looked at Touché quizzically. "B-But you said you needed me 'cause I was a good practice dummy…"

Touché facepalmed. " _No_ , Dum-Dum. I needed you here as a live opponent. If I'm going to fight against the Black Knight, I need to work on my footwork and my striking, as well as ways that I can disarm him," he said. "Do you get what I'm saying _now_?"

"Y-Yeah…" Dum-Dum mumbled. "Sorry 'bout that, Touche."

The somber tone in his voice didn't go unnoticed. "You sound distracted, Dum-Dum. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Normally, you're a little more focused when it comes to training," Touché answered. "If you're worried about hurting me or anything, you don't have to be. I've been through many battles you know."

"I know that, Touche. It's just that I've got a lot on my mind…"

"That's a first," Touché said. "But what's bothering you, Dum-Dum?"

"Aw…it's nothin' big, Touché. We should probably go back an' practice."

"Not while you're distracted, Dum-Dum. You could get hurt," Touché explained. "If you need to take a break, then-"

"Please, Touché," Dum-Dum interrupted, looking down at him. "You're already worried enough. If ya worry anymore, you'll get distracted."

"Dum-Dum, it's not like you to get sullen like this," Touché said.

"O-Oh, uh, it's nothing! I'm fine," Dum-Dum replied, giving the turtle a smile. "No need ta worry, Touche."

"You're never this quiet. What's going on?" Touché asked. "And don't give me a runaround excuse, either."

"Well, I-I got ta thinkin' 'bout the duel earlier, and, uh…" His smile fell completely. "Y'know, I was thinkin', if one of us dies-"

"That's not going to happen, Dum-Dum," Touché answered quickly. In truth, he'd been thinking the same thing, but he hadn't wanted to worry the sheepdog. "The day after, I'll come back victorious, and we'll have all the s'mores and hot dogs you can eat."

"Yeah…but, well…I-I got ta thinkin'…if somethin' happens, I want ya to tell ya somethin', Touché," Dum-Dum said.

"…You'd better not say 'I love you', Dum-Dum."

"I-I wasn't gonna say that!" Dum-Dum said. "Well…I _do_ love ya like a brother, Touché, but that's all, really. B-But I had somethin' else I was gonna say."

"And what is that?"

"To be honest, Touché, I'm glad you're my pal. I was worried I was gonna spend the rest of my life alone an' friendless 'til I met you. You're not only a great hero, but also a really cool guy." He smiled happily. "Honestly, I don't know where I'd be without ya. An' I'm glad that my friendship means somethin' to ya."

Touché couldn't help but be touched. "Dum-Dum…"

Dum-Dum chuckled nervously. "I-It sounds kinda sappy, but it's true," he explained. "I didn't want ya goin' out there without tellin' ya."

It was a little sappy, but there was no mistaking the sincerity behind those words. He gave his old friend a smile. "Thank you, Dum-Dum," he answered. "Really, I mean it."

"You're welcome, Touché!"

"Now that you've got that off your chest, do you feel ready to do some more practice?"

"Yeah…but, uh, are ya sure you don't mind me hurting ya?" Dum-Dum replied. "I-I've been trying out a few moves, but I haven't had the chance ta use 'em…."

"You can show me during the next bout," Touché answered, picking up Dum-Dum's foil and handing it to him. "But I want you to focus on your defense, Dum-Dum. The Black Knight's not going to be a slouch in that area, you know."

"Right, Touché."

* * *

 _The next morning…_

The smell of heated metal greeted Augustin as he walked into his father's workshop. In the cluttered room, he saw the pieces of his father's armor sitting out, red from heat. _He's going to heat up those pieces for his battle with Touché tomorrow, I just know it._

He then looked down at his own arms, which were marked with unnaturally black patches. _Or he's going to use them for practice today,_ he thought. He suppressed a shudder. _I had hoped he would never do that again._

"Augustin! Put on your training armor! We're going out to practice once my armor's cooled enough!"

Augustin didn't answer him for a moment. His mind was racing with old memories. Memories of his father, covered in heat-fueled armor, burning the fur off one of his opponents. Memories of his father kicking another opponent across the street, her orange fur blackening from the contact.

He could still hear the screams. He could still smell the burning of flesh. He could still see their faces full of horror and pain as they-

He was spun around, and struck across the face with blinding fury. Through his quickly watering vision, he saw the angry face of his father glaring at him. "D-Dad…"

"Were you planning to douse my armor again, boy?"

"N-No…I came in to see you and I saw the armor plates," Augustin replied. He wouldn't have dreamed of dousing the armor again, especially not after what had happened before. "A-Are you really going to-"

"What do you think?" his father snapped. "I told you, I'm not going easy on you, because I'm not going on Touché Turtle."

"This is _insane,_ Dad!" Augustin blurted out finally. "Don't you care that you're going to kill your own son with something like this!?"

"You didn't die from it before, did you?" His father's cold tone chilled whatever anger he had left. "Unlike Touché, you weren't stupid enough to charge headlong into it."

"D-Dad…"

"You'll be fine. And you'll manage. You've always managed well," his father replied. He walked into the workshop, dressed in his black suit. "I'm going to put on the underarmor, and then you are coming back in here to help with the rest of the armor. Don't even think of trying to run, like you did the last time. Or else I'll extend practice."

Augustin swallowed back his anger. "Y-Yes, Dad…"

His father didn't answer him, just slammed the door in his face. Augustin looked up over the mantle, where there was a picture of him and his father, smiling and laughing together. Tears welled up in his eyes as he hurried to his room.

 _I don't care who wins tomorrow,_ he thought bitterly. _I just want this thing to be over…_

* * *

 _Touché Turtle's Castle_

Touché groaned as he emerged from his shell, yawning loudly. "Goodness, I haven't slept that good in a while," he muttered. Sleep had escaped him the night before, the fights with the Black Knight coming into his mind. Exercise had burned off most of that restless energy, but he knew that it would truly burn off when he finally took on the Black Knight.

He looked up at the clock, and his eyes widened. "10:30?!" he shouted. He got up and picked up his hat, hurrying down the stairs. Exercise or not, he shouldn't have slept in that late! "Where is that Dum-Dum? He should've woken me up!"

The kitchen, the trophy room and the foyer were all empty. "Where could he have gone?" Touché muttered.

It was then that he became aware of continuous knocking and yelling. He turned in the direction of the sound. "The training grounds?" he muttered, walking past the trophy room, down the stairs and out the back door.

 _What in the world is he doing?_ Touché thought as he looked at the scene in front of him

Dum-Dum was a couple of feet off, performing thrusts on a dummy with his gold and silver foil. This did surprise Touché; often, Dum-Dum practiced when he had to drag him out there. Of course, it was obvious that due to his lack of training, his form wasn't as good as it had been before—and not that his form was spectacular in the first place—but seeing him put effort into his personal training was relieving.

"Well, I'll be," he muttered.

Dum-Dum struck the dummy one last time, and then hung over, breathing heavily. When he'd regained his breath, he stood up to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "Whew…guess I shoulda set a schedule like Touché does." He turned to get a towel from the bench, and it was then that he saw Touché.

"T-Touche!" Putting his sword down, he hurried over to the turtle's side. "Touche, I'm sorry! I-I got up early this mornin' a-an' completely forgot about wakin' ya up!"

"Dum-Dum, that's alright," Touché answered, waving off the hurried apology. "I'm just glad I didn't sleep the entire day again."

"Yeah, that's true," Dum-Dum said. "I was gonna eat breakfast first, but if ya wanna put in a small trainin' bout-"

"Dum-Dum, you've been up three hours before me. You need some rest," Touché said. "You can go ahead and eat something. I'll get my morning practice in, and then we can go through the town below later."

"Aw…."

Hearing the disappointed tone in Dum-Dum's voice made Touché stop. "You actually wanted to practice?" he asked.

"Well…I was hopin' to squeeze in a little more," he said. "An' I was hopin' you'd help, Touche."

"Okay, this is odd. Why are you so focused on training now, Dum-Dum?" Touché asked.

Dum-Dum's expression became serious. "Touché…I got to thinkin' about how you said that we can't slack off and how we've gotta keep our strength up," he replied. "I wanna be stronger, Touche. I-I can't be as strong as you, I know that, but…I wanna be ready for whatever the Black Knight throws at us."

"Dum-Dum, he's gonna fight me. What-"

"I don't think that's the case, Touche. I've got the feelin' that somethin's not right about this battle," Dum-Dum answered.

"Hmm…" Touché looked up at Dum-Dum, who had that intense worry on his face. He didn't want to doubt Dum-Dum, but he felt there was no need for him to worry. However, he knew that the sheepdog would continue to badger him until he listened. "Well, if you feel if you need some more practice…what are you stuck on, Dum-Dum?"

"Well…I was workin' on those attack moves you showed me before," Dum-Dum answered. "But I can't seem ta get this one part right. I-I can show ya after breakfast, if you'd like."

"Sure. You need the strength anyhow," he said. "No need to overdo it if you're getting back into routine. Something light should do, like a fruit salad and eggs."

"Ooh, that sounds yummy!"

"It does. Now come on. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can train."

* * *

Augustin fell to the ground, arms burning due to the heat rolling off his father's armor. He panted heavily, his chest rising and falling in heaves.

His father stepped up to him, scorching the grass below. "You're more careful than that, Augustin," he answered. "I can't believe you actually let yourself get burned."

Augustin sat up. "I-I guess I was a little distracted," he muttered, not looking his father in the eye as he took off his helmet.

"Well, stop getting distracted," his father snapped, glaring down at him. "I'm calling a twenty-minute break. Don't take too long to patch yourself up."

Augustin swallowed back another retort. "Alright, Dad," he answered, pushing himself up on his burned arms. He winced as he got up, stumbling over to the bench.

"The one day I need you to bring you're A-game, and you do something so childish," his father replied. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing much…" Augustin said. "I just got to thinking how my father could've changed from a kindhearted man to a murderer."

"It's just as I told you. Touché Turtle is responsible for this."

"That's not a good enough excuse," Augustin said. "And you told me before that the great Jean-Claude doesn't settle for excuses."

His father took off his hat, his white and spotted fur shimmering in the sun. He turned to look at his son, glaring at him. "Why do you have to question me just like your mother did?"

"Because I know you, Dad," Augustin answered. "You wouldn't let something like a humiliation drive you to do what you did."

"I told you. He will rue the day he crossed me."

"Dad, you told me that a real adult would walk away from something that angers him, and not think about it again," he said. "Please…there's gotta be another reason for why you're doing this."

"Oh, shut up."

 _"_ _Dad!"_ Augustin shouted, jumping up from his spot on the bench. "I didn't stay behind when Mom left just to buy into that excuse that 'Touché is a bad person'! I didn't abandon my mother to watch you murder other heroes!"

Jean-Claude didn't answer that for a long moment. Augustin's eyes were watering over, partly from pain, and partly from anger. "Dad…say something, anything, please!"

"You really want to know why I killed old Harebrain, and the other heroes who followed him?" Jean-Claude answered finally.

Augustin didn't answer.

"I learned something important that day, when after Touché and I had our final fallout, and I left: you can't rely on or trust anyone, especially your heroes," Jean-Claude answered. "Harebrain let me go without so much as a refund, yet he allowed Touché to stay on and train with him. He gave that social climber another chance, whereas he kicked me to the curb."

"I don't think-"

"I don't care about what you think," Jean-Claude snapped. "It's true. Touché Turtle never wanted anything more than love and glory and money, and he was willing to do anything to get it. I thought Harebrain had trusted me. I had my share of mistakes, but I thought he trusted me. But no, I apparently didn't live up to his high standards."

"So that led you to killing those other heroes who followed him?"

"Harebrain's hypocrisy about being 'rich in character' led to people like Touché being named top heroes," he said. "I hated it. I hated everything he stood for after that incident. And so I decided that I would find the people who followed that foolish thinking, and show them just how pointless it is."

"They did nothing to you, Dad. They were doing their jobs, protecting their towns-"

"They did nothing to me? Some of those people shamed me after Harebrain let me go," Jean-Claude spat. "They deserved to die. And so does Touché."

Augustin shook his head in horror. "You're mad…I-I can't believe all those years growing up, I believed you…"

"I'm not asking you to question my methods or even support them," Jean-Claude said. "I'm asking you to assist me in my mission, and to keep your mouth shut about it."

"Dad-"

"This is the _last time_ , Augustin. Don't try to make me change my mind again," Jean-Claude warned. "No one, especially my coward of a son, is going to stop me from fulfilling my goal."

"Is this goal worth it, Dad?" Augustin said, wiping his eyes. "Is it worth destroying your entire family over?"

"…If the end justifies the means," Jean-Claude replied, "then I don't care what I have to do."

"You-"

"Enough talk. Fix those arms, and then we're going to wrap up with one last bout," Jean-Claude answered. He stormed past him, adjusting his armor.

Augustin shuddered violently at this. _He's mad. Absolutely_ mad _…!_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the village over…_

"I-I'll take three more of those crepes, mister!" Dum-Dum said. "Can ya make them chocolate an' banana please!"

"What? But you already have six in your hand!"

"I'm sharin' 'em with a friend!" Dum-Dum replied happily. "I-I'll even pay extra gold for it."

"I swear, you're gonna put me outta business," the vendor answered, disappearing into his van.

Dum-Dum smiled over at the people behind him, who were looking at him with an impatient glare. "I'm getting lunch for me an' my friend," he said.

"Congratulations," a man deadpanned.

Dum-Dum put his other three crepes in his left hand to reach for his wallet, tucked away neatly in his scarf. It was then that a familiar voice reached him.

"D-Dum-Dum?"

Dum-Dum turned around to see Julien standing there, looking at him in utter surprise. "Julien!" he called. He started to wave, only for the vendor to appear with his next order. "Oh, hold on a sec." He dumped out ten gold coins on the counter. "Here ya go. How do ya like that."

"I like it enough, now get outta line!" the vendor said. "You're holdin' it up!"

"Heh, sorry," Dum-Dum muttered, picking up the next three crepes. He made his way over to Julien, a bright smile. "Fancy seein' you in town."

"Well, I had to pick up some materials for my next project," the older man replied. He stared at the crepes in Dum-Dum's hands. "Are you really going to eat that many?"

"Nope! Some of 'em are for Touché. He loves these things," Dum-Dum replied.

"Touché's here, too?"

"Yeah. We came down after we finished up practicin' for that duel," he answered. "He said that today we're gonna relax since tomorrow's the big duel."

"Right," Julien muttered quietly.

Dum-Dum looked at him quizzically. "Everythin' alright?"

"Yeah…say, do you know where Touché is by chance?"

"Oh, yeah, he was buyin' somethin' earlier…"

"Dum-Dum, how many of those crepes did you-"

Dum-Dum turned around to face Touché, who was carrying two trays of food in his hands. He stared up at Julien in utter surprise. "Mr. Fontaine…"

Julien sighed. "I've told you before, there's no need to call me Mr. Fontaine," he answered. "We're old friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah…if you can call me that…"

Dum-Dum looked over at Touché. "Uh, ya wanna sit somewhere, Touche? We're just standin' around doin' nothing," he said.

"Oh, uh…sure. We'll sit over there at that table." Touché looked at Julien. "Would you care to join us?"

"I wouldn't mind at all. Like I told Dum-Dum, it's been a while since I've had any company," he said. "And it's been a long time since you and I talked, Touché."

"Yeah, it sure has been."

Dum-Dum led them over to the table that Touché had picked out, and then handed Touché two strawberry crepes and one apricot one. He turned to Julien. "Do you want one?"

"Oh, thank you. I suppose I'll indulge myself a little bit," he said, taking the chocolate and banana one.

"Dum-Dum tells me you're selling your workshop," Touché said.

"I might as well. Business hasn't been doing as well as it was several years ago," Julien replied. "But it's alright. I'll find a new practice to take up soon. I've always been restless with my hands."

"That's true. That's where Nico got that from," Touché answered.

Dum-Dum looked over at Touché, a warning on his face. "Touche-"

"No need to worry, Dum-Dum. He's right about that," Julien said. "You are fighting the Black Knight tomorrow, aren't you?"

Touché nodded.

"You still keep his armor in the castle?"

"His armor?" Dum-Dum answered.

"That suit of armor that you knocked down the other day was originally Nico's," Touché answered.

Dum-Dum stared at him, seeing how hurt he was. "Aw, Touche…now I see why ya got mad at me the other day. I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault. And like I said, all's forgiven," Touché replied. "I keep it there to remind me why I fight."

"Like ya keep Harebrain's sword an' hat?"

"Yeah," Touché answered. He turned to look at Julien. "I intend to keep my promise to you, Julien. I'll get justice for what he did to Nico."

"It's not just Nico that he's done this to," Julien replied gravelly. "I have heard horror stories around town. Stories of other heroes that he's murdered. There are more people that are out there, grieving because of him, not just myself, or your mentor's family."

"Is that true?" Touché asked. "I never knew…"

"He's avoided capture for over ten years, and even the best are beaten," Julien answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if these stories are true or not."

"They most likely are," Touché answered. "But he's not going to escape from my grasp. Not anymore." He curled his free hand into a fist. "Not this time…"

"Touche, uh, I think you'd better eat that before it gets cold," Dum-Dum said.

"Hmm? Oh, right. S-Sorry, Julien," Touché answered. "I didn't want to bring that up over a light lunch, but…"

"It's the first thing on both of our minds, Touché," he said. "I don't blame you a bit for mentioning it."

"That's a relief," Touché replied. "Well, let's dig in. We won't be able to indulge like this for a while."

* * *

Evening came a little too soon for Touché's liking.

He wished he could sleep without worries like Dum-Dum. The sheepdog had worked so much that after dinner, he'd announced that he was going to sleep after taking a bath. That alone had proven disastrous since he'd fallen asleep in the bathtub and Touché had to save him. The second he'd hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

He knew he needed to sleep because of the fight tomorrow, but memories of the past kept flickering into mind. He thought of Harebrain and Nico. He thought of the various missions they'd been on together, the fun they'd had, the arguments they'd had, and the tears they'd shed. He thought of their respective families, how Harebrain's daughter, Edith, and Julien had been his staunchest allies, supporting him even after they'd lost their loved ones.

They didn't blame him for failing to kill the Black Knight, but Touché couldn't help but blame himself.

If he hadn't been so wary of taking his life the first time, he could've ended their suffering. He could've prevented the deaths of more prominent heroes in the nation. If he'd continued to search for the Black Knight instead of falling to grief and stewing in vengeance for years, he could've put an end to the mess he'd caused.

But now…now there was no time for any more "what ifs" or "could haves". Tomorrow would be his last and only chance to settle this matter, and he wanted to do it with no regrets.

He got up from the window and returned to bed. Hopefully, he could get to sleep with all these burdens on his mind.

* * *

Augustin stared up at the full moon with a sigh. He should be asleep right about now, after the workout his father had put him through today…but the pain in his arms, as well as the burdening thoughts in his mind, kept him awake.

There'd been a time in his life where he would've gladly followed his father into battle, shouting that the turtle should die for what he'd done. There'd been a time where he'd been willing to do anything to help his father become stronger, even allowing himself to get beat up to do it. If it was to help his father regain his glory, then he'd do it.

He hadn't realized how much his father had lied to him until now. His father had used the excuse of self-defense whenever he'd witnessed the murders of the people he'd fought against. Augustin had always felt a small tug at his soul, telling him not to believe him, to escape and never look back, but he hadn't wanted to. He didn't want to believe his mother's stories—or as his father called them, "exaggerations"—of him murdering people. He'd abandoned his mother and sister to follow his father on his crazed quest for revenge, believing everything he'd said.

He wished he hadn't. He wished he could take it back. He wished he could escape and return to his mother and sister—or better yet, to go to the very society his father had been a part of and reveal the Black Knight's identity so they could arrest him and bring him to justice.

His mother and sister had long since moved out of the country. And the last time he'd tried to escape, his father found him and beat him mercilessly, threatening to kill him if he ever tried to leave again.

It was a little late to start wishing that he could take it back. But tomorrow would be the last and only chance to settle this matter, and his mind was swirling with troublesome thoughts. He didn't know if he could handle losing his father, but at the same time, he couldn't sit back and watch him murder another person.

Augustin closed his eyes, trying to fight the troublesome thoughts away. He didn't know who'd win tomorrow, but he hoped that the outcome would put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

* * *

 _Several hours later…_

It was eerily quiet when Touché and Dum-Dum walked down into the ruined village. Dawn was on the horizon, painting the sky a greyish blue. The air was cool and a light wind was blowing through the empty streets, sending small trails of ash scattering.

Dum-Dum shuddered, not out of the cold, but out of fear. Although he'd taken the time to relax yesterday, that nagging feeling was back full force. Touché, however, was unperturbed, and marched towards their destination with resolution in his eyes. He held his trusty épée in one hand, and another one in his right.

He tried to keep his voice even as he said, "Hey, w-we're here kinda early, aren't we?"

"He's probably creeping around here somewhere, Dum-Dum," Touché answered. "We have to be on the lookout for him."

"Y-Yeah…"

Touché stopped suddenly, causing Dum-Dum to stumble into him. "H-Hey, Touché, what's the-"

"It's going to be alright, old friend," Touché said. He turned to face him with a confident smile. "Remember what I told you before? There's nothing to worry about."

"H-How did you know?"

"You're never that quiet unless you're worried about something," Touché replied. "I understand why you're worried, but I told you. I'll walk away from this."

"A-Are you sure, Touche?" Dum-Dum asked.

"Positive. Everything's going to work out fine. Just let me handle this, and you'll see," he said.

"W-Well, if you say so, Touche…"

The sound of clanking metal filled their ears, followed by low hissing. Both Touché and Dum-Dum looked up to see the Black Knight striding in through the fog, his sword at his side. Each step left blackened imprints on the ground.

"I-It's him," Dum-Dum breathed.

"He kept his word after all." Touché's eyes narrowed. "And he's up to his old tricks, I see."

"W-Whaddya mean?"

"The Black Knight always heats up his armor before his fights. Anyone who's too reckless or stupid to run up to him could get their skin seared off and more," Touché answered gravely. "Trust me, I've almost learned that the hard way."

"Y-You knew about this and didn't tell me?!" Dum-Dum yelled, his tone hurt and angry.

Touché looked up at him, regret in his eyes. "…Your reaction's the reason why."

"Touche-"

"Seems you kept your end of the deal," the Black Knight remarked as he got closer. "Meet me in the middle."

"Gladly," Touché answered. "Hold the spare sword, Dum-Dum." After the sheepdog took it, he turned to face the Black Knight, his resolve hardening.

"Er, Touché?" Dum-Dum started. "Forget-wait, well, don't forget what I said the other day. B-But please promise me you won't die out there!"

"I just told you I'm not going to die," Touché said.

"J-Just promise me, Touché!"

"I promise," Touché sighed. "But you'd better do the same."

"Er, do what?"

"Promise me you won't die either, that's what!"

"I don't plan on dyin', Touché! I'm not in the fight after all," Dum-Dum said. "I'll just be here cheerin' for ya on the sidelines."

"Are you two done yet?" the Black Knight snapped. "I didn't bring you out here to see all that sappy friendship crap."

Touché turned to Dum-Dum for the last time. "Stay here."

"Eh, roger, Touché!"

Touché stepped forward, his épée gripped tightly in his hand. The Black Knight unsheathed his broadsword and chuckled.

"You're really going to fight me with the old man's épée? That thing will break when I get through with it," he said.

Touché frowned. "It hasn't broken during any of my battles, and it surely won't now," he replied.

"Confident, aren't we?"

"I've every reason to be. I'm the one who's walking away from this alive, after all," Touché answered. He shifted into an attack position, twirling his sword wrist to make his épée spin, before thrusting it at the Black Knight. "En garde."

"You never did pronounce that word right," the Black Knight answered, also getting into attack position.

The only sound that could be heard afterwards was the wind whistling down the street. Dum-Dum watched with bated breath, his heart knocking against his ribs and sweat breaking out on his forehead. They hadn't even started yet and he was getting nervous. Gulping back a lump in his throat, he muttered, "Go get 'im, Touché."

The Black Knight darted forward in a lunging slash, and Touché moved forward to intercept it, his épée clashing against the blade. In a matter of seconds, they were locked in a deadly dance of metal on metal, their arms blurs with how fast they were moving.

"Not bad, Touché," the Black Knight replied, blocking two of Touché's thrusts.

"I'm just warming up," Touché replied simply.

"If that was your warm-up, I'd hate to see you in top form!" the Black Knight taunted.

"If I were you, I'd hate to see it, too," Touché replied with a smirk, before flipping the knight's sword upwards and using a short thrust at his midsection. The force of his attack sent the knight backwards, and he chuckled. "Honestly, I'd reconsider taking on a top fighter."

The Black Knight shuddered with anger. "Oh, that's _it_ ," he snarled. "I'm done playing nice, Touché."

"Last time I checked," Touché remarked, going for the offensive and attacking again, "you never played nice."

Dum-Dum's eyes widened, and hope filled his soul. "H-He's doin' it," he breathed. "He's actually doin' it! He's beatin' him!" With this boost of confidence, he shouted, "You got this, Touché!"

The Black Knight snarled angrily. "Y'know, I'm kinda surprised that your guard dog's still around. Bet you still haven't told him everything, have you?"

"Oh, I have. And you know what? He told me that he's still going to be my friend," Touché grunted, deflecting the Black Knight's frenzied thrusts aimed at his face. A flick of his wrist sent the blade up again, and he quickly took the opportunity to strike at his thigh, which had the least amount of armor.

The Black Knight stumbled, and Touché performed a long thrust that sent him hurling a few feet back and hitting the dirt ground. He smirked. "You should probably get some friends of your own."

"Attaboy, Touché!" Dum-Dum cheered loudly.

The Black Knight got up from the ground, stumbling lightly, and snarled when Touché turned towards him with a "bring it on" motion, a light smirk on his face. _That's the game he wants to play, huh? Well, two can play at that,_ he thought to himself.

The Black Knight readied himself as Touché lunged forwards, épée drawn back. "You're right, about one thing, Touché," he said, reaching for his belt. "I definitely don't play nice!"

Dum-Dum's eyes widened in horror. "T-Touché, _look out_!" he shouted.

That warning alone saved Touché's life. Skidding to a stop, he ducked into his shell, and the Black Knight's long knife whizzed harmlessly under his hat, barely shaving his hair. He appeared out of his shell a split second later and quickly held up his weapon to keep the Black Knight's sword from stabbing his snout.

"Ha! You missed," he sneered.

He felt the Black Knight's smile through the helmet. "No, I didn't."

 ** _"_** ** _AAAAAUUUGGHHH!"_**

Touché felt all his insides freeze when he heard that. He whipped around to his right, eyes wide, to see Dum-Dum crumple to the ground, the Black Knight's knife in his lower right side. Blood seeped into his fur and on the stone streets.

Touché started to call out to him, but he was kicked in the stomach, sending him backwards. Heat coursed through his underbelly and he yelled in pain, falling on his rear. He looked down at his underbelly, noting with a wince that he'd been burned. He stumbled to his feet, fighting back the pain as the Black Knight came in for another assault. Quickly he had to go back on the defensive as the Black Knight was attacking him, aiming at his underbelly. He deflected and parried each of the Black Knight's powerful thrusts as best as he could, but as hard as he tried to remain focused on the Black Knight, he turned around to see Dum-Dum.

He almost wished he hadn't. The sheepdog was buried face first in the ground, a small pool of blood marking his injury. He wasn't moving…or breathing for that matter. In fact, he hadn't heard him make another sound…

Familiar bone-chilling terror filled Touché's veins. _"Dum-Dum!"_ he screamed.

The Black Knight quickly took advantage of his distraction and cut into his sword arm, creating a deep gash. Touché yelped, but had no time to tend to his wounded arm. He quickly switched his sword over to his right arm, and tried to remain light on his toes, for the Black Knight was now aiming at his knees. He knew what he was trying to do. Wrecking his knees would cause him to fall back on his shell, and if he got him on his back, he'd be done for. Not even his underbelly could protect him from a stab wound, especially from a sword like the Black Knight's.

Even though he was quickly losing the advantage, his mind quickly wandered to Dum-Dum. Already, the sheepdog's lifeless body was burned into his memory. Shock was still trying to fight its way through his body, but he couldn't give it access.

The Black Knight's sword clanged against his épée repeatedly, sending flashes of silver into his eyes. Just like the flash of silver that had taken Dum-Dum's life.

 _No…no, you can't be dead,_ Touché thought frantically. His control was slipping, and he felt one strike cut the side of his left leg. _You can't be dead. You just_ can't _be. You were just cheering for me. You just promised me you wouldn't die…!_

The battle in his mind was clear on his face, for a spiteful laugh escaped the Black Knight's lips. "Seems you're in the market for another guard dog, Touché. And maybe you should get a smarter one next time," he answered. "Oh, wait, why would I say that? You won't need another one; you're gonna join him in the afterlife, anyway."

Memories of Dum-Dum, with his dopey yet earnest smile, his carefree attitude, and kind actions over the last few days, filled his mind. He'd never see Dum-Dum again, all because of this monster.

His grip on his épée tightened. _How dare you…_

"Aw, why're you so upset? If anything, I did you a huge favor," the Black Knight sneered. "He wasn't good enough of a sidekick anyway. Don't know why you kept him around." He thrust forwards, almost severing Touché's head. "No, I think I do know why. He felt sorry for you since nobody wanted a washout of a hero for a friend."

He remembered what Dum-Dum had told him several days before. _To be honest, Touché, I'm glad you're my pal. I was worried I was gonna spend the rest of my life alone an' friendless 'til I met you. You're not only a great hero, but also a cool guy. Honestly, I don't know where I'd be without ya._ He hadn't even thanked him properly for saying it, trying to keep his emotions under lock so he could fight the Black Knight. And now he'd never get the chance to, because of this monster, who'd mocked him after killing him—as if mocking him in his life hadn't been enough.

His nails were digging into his palm now, breaking into the skin. _How_ dare _you…_

Their blades were locked now, and the Black Knight was pushing him back. His knees were starting to give from the strain. He held on as long as he could, despite the pain—he was _not_ going to get him on his shell, no matter what.

"Come to think of it, friends like him don't come around often. It's not every day you have a friend who'll stick with you, faults and all," the Black Knight answered. He chuckled. "Too bad you'll never have a friend like him again." He kicked at Touché's leg, and he screamed in pain, the searing heat almost making him collapse.

He remembered Dum-Dum's words to him after he'd told him everything. _You'll always be my hero, but more than that, you're my pal. An' pals look out for each other. So, I'll still follow ya, Touché, no matter what._ Hearing him say that had felt like a hundred-pound weight had been lifted off Touché's mind. That had meant more to him than any praise he'd ever received from the sheepdog. He'd wanted to say so but hadn't because of his pride; thanking him would make it sound like he was dependent on Dum-Dum's approval, like he needed it to prove his worth. And his pride wouldn't allow him to admit that.

Now he regretted it. He couldn't say anything to his friend because of this monster, who found it amusing to torture him by killing his loved ones and mocking them in front of him—first Harebrain, then Nico, and now Dum-Dum.

The Black Knight's voice was cruel and mocking as he pressed forwards. "Then again, you never deserved one."

The fury he'd been holding back exploded to the surface, coming out in a roar belying his size.

 ** _"HOW DARE YOU?!"_**

The Black Knight was taken aback at Touché's sudden outburst, so much that he faltered in holding the blade lock. Touché took the opportunity to break it and followed it up with multiple short thrusts aimed at various spots of his armor. The Black Knight let out a grunt of pain and alarm. There was none of the finesse that Touché was known for—his strikes carried power, enough so that several holes were being blown into his chestplate, each bigger than the last. The Black Knight, who'd been pushing Touché into the ground, now found himself driven to the other side of the street as the turtle continued his rage-fueled assault.

"I-Impossi-"

Touché's last thrust broke through the top and pierced his shoulder, breaking through chainmail and skin directly to the bone. The Black Knight bit back a scream and tore away. Bad move; doing so ripped the blade out of his shoulder, sending white hot pain raising through it and his upper body. This time he let out a short yell of pain, and he staggered back, clutching his shoulder.

Touché stood a few feet away, his bloodstained sword pointed at the wounded knight, his breath coming out in ragged puffs. The adrenaline was winding down and pain was trying to fight its way through his body, but he didn't care. His brown eyes had gone black with rage, and his vision was red. At that moment, he wanted to do far worse than simply wreck his shoulder. He'd more than deserved it at this point.

He started to move forwards, ideas of how to draw out his suffering running through his head. He'd make him pay. He'd make him pay for killing Dum-Dum, if it was the last thing he'd ever do-

 _Wait. Don't do that,_ he heard in his mind. _You've gotta focus. You've gotta come up with a plan._

If that voice were a person, he'd tell them to shut up. It didn't know what he'd been through today, or yesterday, or the last fifteen years. This monster deserved to feel the full force of his rage, and worse. He deserved to die.

To his annoyance, that same voice filtered in again with more advice.

 _If you don't calm down, you'll get killed. You can't go after him, weapon swinging,_ the voice said. _Remember your teachings and you won't fail._

Odd. Why was he thinking of Harebrain now of all times? Unwillingly, he remembered his fateful battle with the Black Knight that had cost him Nico. He'd given into rage then, and he'd nearly died. If he died here, then what he'd learned from Harebrain, what he'd spent years perfecting…his reason for fighting…it would've been for nothing.

He looked up at the Black Knight, who was holding his shoulder and staggering to a standing position. A shadow of the past, standing here before him. It was the one shadow he'd never been able to beat, one he hadn't overcome.

If he wanted to move on to the future, he had to face his past. He had to face every single shadow that'd loomed over him for years, holding him back.

Touché's expression was hidden by his hat, his clenched teeth the only indicator of his internal struggle. Thoughts and words swirled around his head, fighting to overpower each other and his mind.

 _I trained to become a hero for two reasons: for love and glory. That was my goal. That was my **life**._

 _"You're nothing but a self-loving glory hound."_

 _That I was…but it was Sebastian who showed me another way. He showed me that isn't what life is about._

 _"You're only fooling yourself into believing you've changed."_

 _Then I lost him. I lost a person I considered a father. And now I've lost two men I've called my brothers._

 _"You're going to face loss. Don't think you're any different."_

 _I thought, "If only I was stronger, I wouldn't lose anyone else." But no matter how hard I trained…_

 _"You're not as powerful as you think you are."_

 _That fear…it's still there. It drove me back to my old self. Twice._

 _"And to think people call you a hero."_

 _I could finish him off now, with just the anger I have. But I'm terrified of what I'll do._

 _"You're not so tough."_

 _If I kill him, I might become just like him…or I might be worse than him. I'm terrified of that._

 _"And you call yourself fearless."_

 _No...I'm terrified of myself…_

That realization stopped Touché short. Relaxing his burning muscles, the twisted desire to make his opponent suffer was starting to die down. He now knew who he was fighting against, what he'd been fighting for the last ten years.

The person he was facing, the person he needed to beat…was himself.

His old self was raging inside him, tempting him to go back, to lose himself to self-directed anger, grief, guilt and shame for his foolish pride, his stupid decisions, his greatest failures. His old self had nearly broken his friendship with Dum-Dum. His old self had nearly robbed him of the little bit of sanity he'd had left.

And he couldn't allow that to happen again.

If he truly wanted to surpass his old self, to put an end to the grief and regret he'd brought on himself, then he needed to face this shadow, the shadow that was staggering to his feet, cursing his name with every swear he knew. The little flame in Touché's heart flickered, and he was tempted to let it grow, to let it consume him like it had earlier.

Right as he was ready to give in, one more voice filtered into his mind.

 _I can't stop ya from fighting to the death. But I can stop my best friend from losin' himself._

Touché almost laughed out loud. _Leave it to Dum-Dum of all people to give me advice_. The sheepdog wasn't here now, but he'd win this duel in tribute to him and the revelation he had.

No more griping.

No more shame.

No more fear.

He was going to erase his past and its shadows, so that they'd never loom over his future again.

His head clearer, he looked up at the Black Knight, who'd gotten to a standing position. He had let go of his wounded shoulder, but his stance showed he was still in pain.

"So…you got anything else to say about your latest casualty?" the Black Knight breathed, his voice shaky.

"…No," Touché replied, his voice easy.

"No? Wow, and here I thought I'd have to be worried," the Black Knight replied, although his tone showed surprise. "You've probably got nothing else to live for now."

"That's not it, either." Touché looked up at him, his brown eyes clear and full of resolve. "It's because I've got nothing else to _fear_."

That was the Black Knight's only warning. Touché launched across the street, and immediately went for the offensive, forcing the Black Knight to parry and deflect his thrusts. At one point he went for his wounded arm, and he wrenched it back to avoid it, sending fire coursing through him. With the threat of his sword gone, Touché went straight for his midsection again; the foil broke through a second time, poking his midsection. This time a small cry did escape the Black Knight as it punctured his skin.

"You little…!"

"Take _this_!" Touché shouted. On and on he went, knocking against the Black Knight's armor. Each strike was going to count for his fallen friends. "And some of these! And that!"

The Black Knight tried to regain the control he'd had in the beginning, but Touché was driving him back. And his strategy had changed. He wasn't attacking recklessly anymore; his focus had returned, and his strikes were becoming deadlier.

Even more startling was the conviction in those eyes. He was going to end this fight, and he was going to be the victor.

"This is for Harebrain!" Touché shouted, stabbing at his sword arm.

The Black Knight staggered, but didn't switch hands and tried to attack again, swinging his sword at Touché's head. He ducked into his shell, then reappeared, deflecting the next attack. He went for his midsection, and the Black Knight twisted away only for Touché to turn the sword and stab into the underarmor on his side.

"That was for Nico!" Touché shouted.

Growling, the Black Knight raised his sword arm into the air, aiming at Touché's head. "This ends _now_!"

The barest hint of a smirk graced Touché's face. "Indeed," he remarked. He drew his épée back, slid over to the left, and tipped the bent point of his sword under the cross-guard. He then flipped the sword out of his hands, sending it sailing behind him and spinning to the ground.

The Black Knight was at a loss for words.

"And this is for Dum-Dum!" The threat of his sword gone, Touché thrust forward with all his might. "HYAAH!"

His épée collided with the Black Knight for the last time, blowing a large hole through the chestplate and striking true. A strangled cry escaped his throat and he stumbled backwards, holding his chest. He didn't get far before he tripped and fell flat on his back, gasping.

Touché relaxed his strained muscles, relaxing the grip on his bloodstained épée. Pain from the burns on his underbelly and his cut arm and leg burned through him, but the reality that dawned on him outweighed his wounds.

He'd won. After fifteen years of living under the shadow of his past, he'd finally, _finally_ won against it.

He looked at the Black Knight, who was on the ground twitching and gasping for air. He stormed over to his fallen opponent, and climbed up on his chest, ignoring the grunt of pain.

"It's time I finally look my opponent in the face," he said, reaching down and grabbing both sides of his helmet.

"D-Don't you _dare_!" The Black Knight exclaimed.

Touché did so anyway, ripping it off none too gently and tossing it to the ground. Anger switched over to shock when he got a good look at his opponent: a cat with white fur spotted with light brown and black patches, although most of it was spattered with blood from their fight. Angry yellow green eyes locked with his surprised brown ones.

"J-Jean-Claude?!" Touché gasped, almost stumbling off. " _You're_ the Black Knight?!"

Jean-Claude laughed, before coughing. "Wow. A-And I thought your guard dog was slow," he spat. "Even after all these years, you failed to recognize me."

Now that he was looking at him, it made sense. All the bitter remarks, the attacks at his dignity, his mocking tone. Even among most of his opponents and professional rivals, none of them had ever been as mouthy as Jean-Claude.

Touché wanted to kick himself. How could he not have noticed this before?!

He stared at him, hands balling into fists. "Why?"

"Why what? Be more-"

The épée was at his throat before he could finish. The shock had worn off, leaving plenty of room for his anger. "Why did you do all of this?" he snarled.

"It was the only way I could bring you out," Jean-Claude answered.

"Why did you murder Nico? Why did you kill Harebrain?" Touché demanded. His voice rose as he continued. "You killed your own _teacher,_ Jean-Claude. He loved you like a son, and you betrayed him. And then you killed someone who did nothing to you. What made you do such a thing?!"

"You made me do it, Touché," Jean-Claude said, glaring at the turtle. "You humiliated me, made a mockery of me, and you stole my future."

"I stole your future?"

"I could have been a-a respected hero if it weren't for you!" Jean-Claude said. "Ever since you humiliated me at that match, I became a laughingstock! I was let go without so much of a notice…and you, you greedy little social climber, you took what was rightfully mine!"

" _You_ ruined your own future by taking your bitterness out on the world," Touché pointed out. "You've killed dozens of innocent people over ten years." His arms shook. "You took away two people I called _family_ , Jean-Claude."

"And you took away what little respect I had in the hero community," Jean-Claude snapped. "I-I decided I'd return the favor by taking away what you loved." His smirk grew when he saw the rage in Touché's eyes. "First the old man, then that preppy boy, and now your sheepdog." He tsked. "Sucks to be you, doesn't it?"

"You could've gone after me if you wanted revenge. You didn't have to take it out on them!"

"I could've just done that. But there's no fun in that." Jean-Claude's eyes narrowed. "No, I wanted to make you _suffer_. I wanted to make you suffer and make you regret ever coming here, taking my place, and going around _pretending_ to be a hero. I wanted that old man to regret ditching his longest-serving apprentice for a hack. And I wanted that preppy boy, and your sheepdog, to see that you really aren't as untouchable as you say." He smiled cruelly. "I'm glad to say that it worked."

Touché stared at him, disgust on his face. He never imagined that Jean-Claude would do this. But even if he could see him doing this, he never would've imagined that he'd go this far off the deep end, just to get even with him.

And he wasn't about to admit that the cat was right.

Jean-Claude's next words broke his thoughts. "Aren't you going to finish me off?"

"I'd very much like to," Touché ground out. "You've more than deserved this."

"Then what're you waiting for?" Jean-Claude snapped. "Get it over with."

Touché raised his épée in the air, aiming right at his face. That cat was still smiling at him, angering him further. This person, who'd killed two people he'd cared about in all the world, who'd hurt countless innocent civilians and killed more people, who'd killed his best friend and laughed about it, who had no remorse for his actions…he deserved this. He deserved this and worse for what he'd done to Harebrain, Nico, Harebrain's students and many others.

 _It would be easy to avenge them all with a simple stab wound to the head. Or better yet, I could just cut his tongue out so he can stop talking,_ Touché thought. Worse things filtered through his mind, escalating in brutality until it shocked even him.

 _But…_

The tip of the épée met the ground right behind the cat's head, sending a spray of dirt into the air and into his eyes. Jean-Claude's smirk disappeared at this, and he looked at Touché, whose eyes were hidden behind his hat.

"W-What the-"

"Run, Jean-Claude," Touché replied lowly. "If the other villagers see you, they're going to hang you."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you spare me again?!" Jean-Claude snapped. "You had the chance to avenge your precious comrades. I told you to take it, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. And it'd be easy to avenge them here and now. I could butcher you worse than Harebrain and Nico," Touché answered, looking up at him finally. His eyes were hard, but Jean-Claude sensed a warmth in those eyes…an all-too-familiar one from the past.

That warmth horrified and sickened him. "T-Then why-"

"But I'd be no better than you. I'm not going to become a butcherer like you, Jean-Claude. Unlike you, I have dignity."

 _"Coward…"_

"I don't want to hear that from someone who never owned up to anything in his life," Touché snapped. "You could have become a hero! You could've regained your dignity! You didn't have to resort to murder to get that back!"

"Oh, like how you cheated and lied to get your status?"

"I…I'm not proud of what I did back then," Touché answered slowly. "But I've changed from that horrible person I used to be. And if I can change, then so can you."

Jean-Claude laughed, and swiped a paw at the turtle's legs, sending him off his armor. "Heh…yeah, right…" He coughed, and some blood dribbled down his chin. "L-Like I could ever change."

Touché stared at the cat in shock. "Jean-Claude?"

"T-That stab wound you gave me did me in, you know. Guess you did get your revenge after all."

Touché scrambled to his feet. "There's still time. I can save-"

"I-I just murdered your best friend, and you want to save me?" Jean-Claude remarked. He turned to look up at the sky, that same smile on his face as he closed his eyes. "Don't…make me laugh…"

Touché ran over to him. "Jean-Claude!" he shouted, shaking him. "You can't die! Think of your family, for crying out loud!"

"M-My family abandoned me…e-even my weakhearted son," Jean-Claude said.

"Then think of your son!" Touché said. "You might be the only family he-"

"He'll manage…he's always…managed…" Jean-Claude's head slumped forwards, his breath rattling out.

Touché's breath caught in his throat. He was gone. Jean-Claude, the source of his anguish for the last decade, the person who'd killed three people dear to him, was dead, a victim of his blade.

He knew he should be relieved. He knew that he shouldn't be upset at this. After all, this monster had caused more pain than good. He'd rid the world of such a menace.

But he couldn't be. He'd tried to reach out to him, only to be rejected. He knew that some people couldn't or just didn't want to be saved…but he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"D-Dad…?"

Touché turned around to face the speaker, and jumped. This cat looked eerily like his fallen opponent. "J-Jean-Claude?" he started.

"N-No…I'm his son."

 _His son…_ Touché stared at him, and his features—his small pink nose, the mixture of light brown and black spots on his ears, his lighter build—triggered a memory in him. A name.

"A-Au…Augustin?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Touché," Augustin muttered. "I-I didn't think you remembered me after all these years…"

"I-I haven't seen you since you were in grade school," Touché remarked.

Augustin looked down at his father. "He's dead, isn't he?" he asked. His voice was even, but Touché saw the tremors begin in his arms.

Touché set Jean-Claude down on the ground. His earlier guilt was swallowing him alive. "I-I'm so sorry, Augustin. I-I tried to-"

"Touché, don't apologize," Augustin sniffled, stumbling over to his father's body. He fell to his knees, shuddering. His next words were nearly incomprehensible. "J-Just don't…"

Touché shut his mouth, allowing the boy to mourn. What could he say? He'd just killed his father. And he knew from experience that no amount of words could bring back those who were lost.

He got up and looked down at Jean-Claude, who was being embraced by his weeping son. One of the nicer moments of Jean-Claude filtered through his mind: the time where Augustin had come to watch his father face him in a duel. He'd won that time, and Augustin had tackled him into a hug, holding him just like this, except he'd been laughing and smiling.

Had he known that Jean-Claude was the Black Knight, had he known that Augustin had been there…he never would've agreed to this duel. He never would've agreed to take the life of a man who had a loving son, no matter how evil he was.

Looking down at his fallen opponent, Touché took his hat off in respect. "Jean-Claude, I can't say I hope you're in a good place," he said despondently. "But…I hope you learned something from all this."

Augustin looked up at Touché, shock racing through his eyes. "A-After everything he's done…you still-"

"…It's a knight's last honor," Touché replied. "I learned that from Harebrain."

Augustin looked down at his father, then got up and lifted the body into his arms. He started to leave, but then he stopped and looked over at Touché. "Thank you."

Touché was dumbstruck. "W-Why are you thanking me?" he asked.

"You ended his reign of terror, and you gave him an honorable fight," Augustin answered simply. "To do so after all you've suffered is a sign that you are a true hero."

 _No, I'm not. I'm not a hero for killing someone's father,_ Touché wanted to say. But Augustin was already leaving, carrying his father through the empty streets. His mouth clacked shut. If he said anything now, Augustin would say the same thing to brush away his concerns.

And he couldn't face that again.

Putting his hat back on, he turned away from Augustin, facing the other body in the street. His guilt only got worse.

"Dum-Dum…" Touché walked over to the sheepdog and turned him over. The knife was still there, the blood starting to dry, leaving maroon colored streaks on his fur. There was no trace of pain on his face; rather his lips were curled back into a peaceful smile.

Even in death, he still had that dopey smile…

Touché laughed. It was a low, bitter laugh, one that couldn't hide his sadness. "Only you, Dum-Dum," he muttered. "Only you would smile after getting hit like that…I-I don't know what made you so happy, but…if you didn't feel any pain…"

His throat closed, and his smile disappeared entirely as he looked down at the sheepdog's body. The only small comfort he could take was that Jean-Claude hadn't destroyed it like he'd destroyed Harebrain's and Nico's.

Rather than doing that, he'd destroyed Touché's soul.

"A-And only you would be so _stupid_ as to stand there and let yourself get killed!" Touché yelled finally. He glared down at Dum-Dum with teary eyes. "Y-You had one job to do, Dum-Dum. Y-You h-had _one job_!"

Killing Jean-Claude in front of his son hadn't been enough, the heavens decided. He'd now have to bury his best friend, too.

He bit his lip hard to keep himself from sobbing, making blood dribble down the side of his face and scooped the dog's head into his shaking arms. His hat hid his eyes, but not his tears.

"Dum-Dum, you _dummy_!" he shouted angrily, shaking the sheepdog. Dum-Dum's head bobbed back and forth from his violent shaking. "Y-You were s-supposed to stay alive! W-We promised each other that we'd go home alive! Why did you go and die on me?! Why didn't you _move_?!"

The silence he received was the last straw.

Composure breaking, he rested his head on Dum-Dum's warm forehead, professionalism be damned as he shuddered. "W-Why… _why_?" he sobbed. His tone wracked with anguish, he breathed, "W-Why…why did you have to leave me, too, Dum-Dum?"

Dum-Dum's face twitched against his own, and Touché jumped back. His eyes were wide with shock. "D-Dum-Dum?"

Dum-Dum leapt out of his arms, knocking Touché onto his shell, and sneezed, so loud that crows were sent flying into the air.

" _Owww!"_ he yelped, jerking in pain. He looked down at the knife in his side. "…g-geez, I hope this won't hurt me too much." He wiped his nose, and as he was doing so, he got a look at Touché, who was turning over to his side. "Ugh…oh, uh, 'scuse me, Tou-" He stopped upon getting a good look at Touché. "Touche? Touché, what's wrong?"

Touché let out an unintelligible sputter, pointing at Dum-Dum with trembling fingers. His pupils had gone the size of tacks. He quickly wiped his face of the tear tracks. "W-What?!" he croaked out.

"Whoa…are you alright, Touché?" Dum-Dum started. "Y-You're cryin'! An' you're bleedin' from your lip too!"

 _"How in the world are you alive?!"_ Touché shouted in response.

"Er, well, uh…" Dum-Dum answered, scratching the back of his head. "It wasn't easy, tryin' to be completely still after gettin' hit with that knife." He stretched his neck muscles. "Uh, an' it feels like my head was snapped back an' forth."

Now it made sense why Dum-Dum's body was still ridiculously warm when he'd fallen upon him. A touch of red colored Touché's face from embarrassment and anger.

"Y-You mean to tell me you played dead?!" he all but screamed.

"Well, yeah! I wanted him to think that I was dead so that he wouldn't-" He stopped when he saw Touché marching over to him, face twisted into a scowl. "U-Uh, Touché?"

"You _knucklehead_!" he shouted, smacking him in the head with the flat of his sword.

"OWWW!" Dum-Dum yelped, holding his head with both hands. He looked down at Touché. "Hey, watch it! I-I'm already hurt enough, Touché!"

"I'd hurt you even more if you weren't!" Touché snapped. To his annoyance, fresh tears quickly replaced the others he'd shed. "D-Don't you _ever_ do that again, you…y-you crazy _dummy_! What in the world possessed you to do that?!"

"S-Sorry, Touche, but I had ta!" Dum-Dum stopped, looking down at him. "Or maybe I shouldn't have. I scared ya so bad you're cryin'!"

"N-No, I'm not!" Touché replied, wiping his eyes again. "I-I bit my lip too hard during the fight, but I'm not crying. I-I just got something in my eyes, that's all…"

"Y-Ya sure?" Dum-Dum asked worriedly. "You look upset!"

"Mmhmm," Touché answered, wiping the blood off his face. "I-I'm fine. I'll just call a doctor from the other town so you can get that knife out."

"Gee, thanks, Touché," Dum-Dum answered. "You're a real pal, you know?"

"Yeah…" Touché sniffled a little. "Y-You're welcome, Dum-Dum."

"Ya sure you weren't cryin'?"

"Just drop it, Dum-Dum!"

* * *

 _Several hours later…_

Touché knocked on the door. "Dum-Dum, are you awake?" he called.

"Uh, yeah, Touche! Come on in!" the sheepdog answered.

Touché entered the small room. Dum-Dum was sitting up in bed, and next to him was a half-eaten sandwich and an empty glass of water. At least Dum-Dum looked better than he had earlier, thank goodness; he'd passed out on their way up, his face green with nausea, and Touché had to ask some villagers to help him carry him all the way up. Thankfully the doctor was already in town, and he'd removed the knife, cleaned the wound and stitched him up in under two hours.

He'd been taken care of too, while he was waiting for Dum-Dum. The burns he'd gotten from Jean-Claude's armor would take a while to heal, and he'd be off duty for at least a week. That was a disappointment, but considering what could've happened, he'd gotten off lucky.

Dum-Dum looked over at him, tired but relieved. "Hey, Touché. Everythin' alright? Did they say how long I'm gonna be here?" he asked.

"They said they'll keep you here for two days for observation, and then you go home," Touché answered. "But until then, you're not leaving this hospital bed."

"Not even if I have to go to the bathroom?"

"Well, on that condition, but no funny business," Touché answered.

"OK." Dum-Dum looked over at Touché as he dragged a stool over to sit by his bed. "Hey, uh…are ya still mad at me for what I did earlier?"

"You mean when you played dead during my fight with the Black Knight?"

"Er, yeah."

"Very," Touché answered, glaring at him. "What in the world possessed you to do that, Dum-Dum?"

"Well, uh…a-after it hit me, he sounded like he was gonna make sure I was gone, Touche," Dum-Dum answered. "An' the last time I got hurt, you dropped the battle and ran over to me."

Touché looked offended. "I'm your friend, Dum-Dum! I'm not going to leave you if you get hurt!"

"But when he threw the knife, he aimed it at me!" Dum-Dum protested.

"Why would he do that? His focus was on me!"

"Remember the last time ya got mad? Ya weren't really thinkin' when ya jumped him," Dum-Dum replied. "I-I think he wanted ya to be all mad 'cause you're kinda easier to fight that way."

It was ironic hearing Dum-Dum talk about weaknesses, but he didn't want to insult his friend again. "So…he wanted to use you to get to me?"

"Er, yeah…at least, that's what I thought," he said. "Jus' goin' offa what Nico's dad said, an' what you said. He kept buggin' ya about me, and I thought-"

"Dum-Dum," Touché interrupted, "I think you ended up saving my life."

"I-I did?" Dum-Dum asked.

"I don't know what I would've done if you'd died for real. I was angry enough to kill him when I lost both Nico and Harebrain, but I couldn't do it. And when I saw you… I'm just lucky I remembered to focus through my anger. But if you'd died…I wouldn't have tried to spare him, that's for sure."

Dum-Dum's eyes widened. "You spared 'im!?"

"Yeah. I unmasked him, too."

"Y-Ya did?! W-What did he look like?"

"You remember me telling you about Jean-Claude?" Touché answered. "It was him."

" _He_ did all of this to you?!" Dum-Dum threw off the covers and started to climb out of bed. "Where is he? I-I'll _clobber_ him for this!"

"No, Dum-Dum! He's already gone!" Touché yelled, pushing his friend back.

"I-I don't care!" Dum-Dum shouted. He was angry, angrier than Touché had ever seen him before. "I'll find 'im! I-I'll find that monster a-an' he'll learn that nobody messes with my pal!"

"No, I don't mean that kind of gone, Dum-Dum," Touché answered. His arms fell to his sides. "I…I killed him."

Dum-Dum froze, the anger leaving his face. He sat back down on the bed. "You did?"

"During the fight, I broke through his armor and I stabbed him through the chest with my sword. I tried to save him but…"

"Why would ya save him, Touché? H-He killed your friends!" Dum-Dum answered.

"Yes, he did. But I…I couldn't take his life. He told me to do it, too, and I couldn't," Touché answered. "I spared him, because as angry as I was, I still wanted to help him. I tried to give him one more chance. He didn't want to take it. He died being bitter to the end."

"You didn't want to kill him?" Dum-Dum asked.

"I'd wanted to so many times. But when the time came, I couldn't do it," Touché answered. "You know what he told me? He did all of this to make me regret stealing his future and humiliating him. I told him he could've gone after me. I told him that there was no need to kill Hairbrain and Nico. He told me that there'd be no fun in that, and that he'd wanted to make suffer by killing everyone I loved, to make me regret." He sighed. "It pains me to say his tactic worked."

"And again…why did ya want ta spare his life?" Dum-Dum asked. There wasn't a trace of stupidity or silliness in his question.

"Because I saw myself in him, Dum-Dum. He's what I would've been, if I'd killed him," Touché answered. "I-I might've been even worse than he was."

Dum-Dum remained silent for a moment. Then he said, "W-What are you going to do now, Touché?"

"Jean-Claude's son's taken him back to his village," he said.

"His son?" Dum-Dum said.

"Jean-Claude had a son, named Augustin. He adored his father," he said. "And he was there at the village when he died."

"Oh no…w-what if he takes it the wrong way? H-He might go after you 'cause you killed him!" Dum-Dum said.

"He thanked me," Touché answered quietly.

"W-What?"

"He thanked me, Dum-Dum…"

"W-Why?"

"He said I gave his father an honorable death. He said that was a sign that I was a true hero," Touché said. "But he watched me kill his father…h-how can he say that…?"

"Touche…"

Touché shook his head, trying to contain his tears. "Now you see why I don't like killing, Dum-Dum? I don't want to deal with things like this!" he said. "H-Had I known it was him, I never…" He hung his head low, balling his hands into fists. He hated this. He hated feeling like this, like he'd ruined somebody's life. "I-I _never_ …"

Dum-Dum reached down and wrapped him in a hug. If it weren't for his injury, it'd be tighter than his normal bear hugs. "Y-You didn't know, Touche. Please don't blame yourself," he pleaded, his voice choked with tears. "Y-You fought 'im with honor 'til the end, didn't ya?"

"Y-Yeah, but it wasn't easy," Touché said. "I nearly killed him when you got stabbed…"

"But you didn't. Y-You could've done the same thing he did to Harebrain an' Nico. But ya didn't. Ya fought him with honor. Y-Ya gave him a chance. He wouldn't have done it i-if he'd beaten you."

"I-I know…but i-it doesn't make it better, Dum-Dum," Touché said. "Augustin loved his dad…"

"It's gonna be rough for someone's boy to deal with that," Dum-Dum answered. "But I think…I think he'll be okay."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, goin' offa what ya told me, Touche, I think he's gonna be alright," Dum-Dum said. He looked down at Touché. "Uh, are _you_ gonna be alright, Touché?"

"I'll try to be," Touché said. He let out a shaky sigh. "I'm sorry about this, old friend. T-This is a bit embarrassing…"

"Aw, geez…it's not embarrassin' that you're cryin', Touche. I would've been worried if ya weren't," Dum-Dum said, patting him on the head. "I think heroes deserve ta cry. But I don't think they should do it alone."

"…Just promise me one thing, Dum-Dum," he requested, his voice low. "Don't ever pull a stunt like that again."

"B-But Touché, what if somethin' happens and I-"

"You'd better tell me beforehand," he interrupted.

"But Touche, I was doin' it t-ta save ya!"

"I-I don't care if you were doing it to save my life," Touché answered. There was no hiding the sadness. "You have no idea how much that affected me. Y-You scared the life out of me back there, Dum-Dum. I-I…" He shuddered. "I thought I'd failed again…"

Dum-Dum was at a loss for words. He'd forgotten to ask Touché about what he'd said earlier, before he'd sneezed, namely because he'd been volatile at that moment. But with everything that he'd told him, it all made sense, and it filled Dum-Dum with guilt. He hadn't meant to scare Touché, but he had. He hadn't meant to make him break down, but he had.

He hadn't meant to make him think he'd failed in protecting his loved ones…but he had.

Tears filled his eyes as he looked down at Touché. "T-Touché…why didn't ya tell me this earlier, w-when I got up?"

"My stupid pride got in the way. I-I didn't want you to see me like that," he said.

"Touche, it's like I said. You don't have to hold it in," Dum-Dum said.

"I-I'm happy you're alive, Dum-Dum, really I am. But please..." Touché looked up at Dum-Dum. He wasn't crying now, but his face was full of distress. "Just please promise me you won't do something like that without telling me first," he pleaded. "I-I don't _ever_ want to come that close to losing you again."

Dum-Dum nodded through his tears. "Alright, Touché. I-I'll try not to." He let out a shaky sigh as he set the turtle down. "I'm sorry, Touche. I didn't know I'd make ya that worried. I-It was a plan I thought of at the last minute, honest."

"Well…it worked at least. But you'd better keep your promise. Or else I'll knock some sense into you with my trusty sword."

Dum-Dum chuckled nervously. "I, uh, don't think that's necessary, Touche."

 **End of Part 3**

* * *

 _ **My sister gave me the idea to put in some foreground before Touché and the Black Knight fought. I found it exhausting at first, but I've gotta say, I'm glad I took her advice. Adding some more foreground allowed me to explore the characters more, namely Touché, the Black Knight, Dum-Dum and Augustin.**_

 _ **I really enjoyed writing Dum-Dum's scenes, though. His resolve to be stronger may seem kind of out of place for him, but his main reason for doing it is to keep himself prepared for whatever happens. It's his way of protecting Touché, so that in the event that Touché falls, Dum-Dum can fight the Black Knight instead. And playing dead so that Touché wouldn't be an open target for the Black Knight was also another way of protecting him (and just so you know, I wasn't planning on killing Dum-Dum off). It's odd saying this for a character like Dum-Dum...but for what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in dedication. Sometimes, he can be a little more foolhardy than Touché, though.**_ **  
**

 _ **Augustin was going to appear only at the end, but the idea to introduce him the days following the fight came up. Needless to say, I'm glad I took that idea. We got to see Jean-Claude's motivation, and how it's not only affected his enemy and other innocents, but his own son, who believed him to be a hero and now sees him as a monster. If I could, I'd focus the entire story on Augustin, but sadly that's not the case. Luckily, he'll get his scenes to shine in the epilogue.**_

 _ **Speaking of Jean-Claude/The Black Knight, he was interesting to write as well.**_ ** _For the longest time, I couldn't figure out if he should die or not. I was planning to spare him, which would possibly set up a sequel, but pretty much everyone in my family figured that after all he'd done already, he needed to go. XD Still, I felt that Touché would still try to give him a second chance, and his disappointment over Jean-Claude not choosing a path of redemption (and his guilt over killing him in front of Augustin) gave a lot of depth to his character._**

 ** _Writing the parts where Touché is at his weakest was pretty saddening. I rewrote the scene where he thought Dum-Dum died three times to make it sound right. And yeah, the "damned" was intentional; it was inspired by my friend Vulaan Kulaas during an RP we were doing. I tried using other words, but that one carried the strongest emotion, in my opinion. And of course, his friendship with Dum-Dum was always fun to write. I'd better be careful or else I'll end up making another "Blazin' Trails"-type story.  
_**

 ** _Next chapter is the epilogue, which will wrap up the events listed. And after this, I'm not sure what I'm going to work on next...possibly chapter 2 of "I'll Never Abandon You" again. I made a little more progress in it and I'm trying to figure out what else to put in it._**

 ** _Anyway, do let me know what you think in the comments!_**

 ** _God bless, iheartgod175_**


	4. Epilogue: After the Dawn

**A/N:** Here we are, everyone! This is the final chapter of _For Love and Glory_! This story was a blast to write (or rather, to rewrite), and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This chapter ties up some loose ends, but also provides a pretty good hook for the sequel, titled _The Dugan Crown Affair_ , which won't be out for a bit. I'm doing the same thing I did with this story and finishing all the chapters first before posting it.

We have a new face coming in, and we'll get the aftermath of Touché's fight with the Black Knight. But enough of my rambling: on with the chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** _Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum_ is a cartoon that I will never own, sadly...

* * *

 **For Love and Glory**

 **Epilogue: After the Dawn**

 _Weeks later…_

"How'd you like your coffee, Dum-Dum? Black or with cream?" Julien asked.

"Oh, uh, with cream an' sugar," Dum-Dum said. "N-Not too much though. Makes me jittery."

"I see." Julien poured some coffee into a small coffee cup, followed by dumping two cubes of sugar. "It's a shame Touché isn't here to join us."

"He would've, 'cept that he said he had somethin' important to do," Dum-Dum answered. "An' apparently it's in another town."

"Oh?"

"Yeah? I offered ta go with him, but he said that he didn't want me to break my promise to ya." Dum-Dum took the coffee cup from Julien and took a long sip of it. Humming approvingly, he said, "This vanilla creamer is real good, Jules."

Julien chuckled. "I haven't heard anybody call me that since I was a teenager."

"It doesn't sound too weird, does it?" Dum-Dum asked.

"No, not at all," Julien replied, waving his hand. "I actually like it."

"Alright, then. W-Well, as I was sayin', Touché had to meet with someone," Dum-Dum said. "I didn't hear everythin' he said. I-I was still sleepin' when he told me, heh."

"How is he, anyway?"

"Doin' better than he was a couple of weeks ago," Dum-Dum admitted. His expression became solemn. "Killin' the Black Knight's supposed to make him forget about everythin', not make him think about it even more."

Julien sighed, stirring up his coffee as he did so. "Nobody truly forgets the deaths of loved ones, Dum-Dum," he answered quietly.

"I didn't mean that…I meant with 'im feelin' guilty," Dum-Dum answered. "The Black Knight…Jean-Claude was evil. I saw it firsthand. Touché saw it firsthand. An' it hurt him for years."

"I think what got him is that his son watched him kill him."

"From what Touché's told me, Augustin thanked him for killin' him," Dum-Dum said.

"Then that means something must have happened to Augustin. No son would say that after witnessing their father's death," he said.

"Augustin says that Touché gave him an honorable death," Dum-Dum said. "And well...he didn't wreck his body."

Julien nodded. "To be honest, I am proud of him for handling it the way he did. Anybody else would've wrecked his body. I know I would have."

Dum-Dum looked at the older man, who was stirring his cup. "There were other people after the Black Knight, weren't there?"

Julien nodded. "More than you can possibly imagine. They probably have more history with him than I do," he replied. "I just hope that this can give the families some closure."

Dum-Dum nodded.

"Well…I hope you didn't come all the way back to bring up sad memories," Julien said, pushing his coffee aside. "Did you ever get in contact with Desmond?"

"Oh, yeah!" Dum-Dum reached inside his hat and pulled out a letter. "As soon as the stuff with the Black Knight was over, I sent 'im a letter. Didn't hear from 'im 'til yesterday." He handed it to Julien. "I didn't open it yet 'cause I wanted you to read it."

"Hmm…" Julien tore the seal, pulled out the letter and unfolded it. His eyes widened as he read the first line. "Dum-Dum…I think you should read this."

"Huh? Isn't it supposed ta be for you?"

Julien handed him the letter. "Not this one, I believe."

Dum-Dum took the letter, confusion on his face. It disappeared as he stared at the letter, his eyes widening.

"N-No way…when did I get an inheritance?!"

* * *

 _In another village…_

Touché looked up at his mentor's home—a two-story Tudor style village home, colored tan and brown. He was careful to avoid the puddles of sudsy water, although that was difficult to do, for the whole walkway was drenched in it.

 _They still do yard work on Tuesdays, huh?_ he thought, surveying the house. The steeple and the front of the house had water dripping down from the windows, which were incredibly clean. Traces of green moss were growing along the foundation, although most of it looked like it'd been sprayed off. The stone walkway had weathered slightly, but the front yard was immaculate, with the bushes neatly trimmed and the flowers recently watered.

All in all, it looked exactly as he remembered it—minus the addition of the sign that read "Home of Harebrain Hare". Edith had been taking good care of the place.

Touché chuckled. _Like father, like daughter._

It was odd standing in front of his mentor's home again after ten years. Standing here took him back in time, memories of training with Harebrain long into the night, and coming in for dinner with Marguerite and Edith, laughing all the while. Harebrain was buried a few miles from the house, and so were some of his students, the heroes that Jean-Claude had killed. After Harebrain's death, he'd refused to visit the town. He hadn't wanted to be reminded of his greatest failure, of not being able to save the country's most beloved hero.

He wouldn't have even been here were it not for Augustin. The night Dum-Dum had been admitted into the hospital, Augustin had called him and asked if he could come and take a few of Jean-Claude's "battle trophies". Touché had been confused by that at first, since he'd assumed the boy was still grieving for his father. Still, he could never say no to a request, and he decided to go visit the cat, taking him outside his mentor's village.

What he'd found shocked him.

* * *

Touché felt his blood chill as he pulled out a pair of black gloves with gold cuffs on the ends. The initials "SL" was on the left, while the right read "HH"; both were embroidered with black thread, which was starting to come loose. The gold cuffs had maroon patches on them, and Touché knew what they were.

"He never washed them," Augustin said quietly, watching as Touché stared at the gloves. "When I asked him why, he said 'It was from a good battle. I want to remember these forever'."

"A good battle? He _murdered_ him in cold blood!" Touché shouted finally. He stared down at the gloves again and shivered. "Only he would commemorate something so terrible!"

"I would've returned them a long time ago," Augustin said. Touché looked up at the cat, who was toying with one of his father's old pokers. It startled him just how much the boy looked like his father. "When I found out that he'd murdered Harebrain Hare, I dug them back up to send them. But my father found out. Long story short, he made sure I never tried that again."

"What did-"

"Don't ask," Augustin said quickly. His eyes clouded over with fear. "Trust me, you don't want to know…"

"Oh…" Touché turned his gaze back to the gloves again. "How did you manage to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Follow your father everywhere without question?"

"He was just like you—very good at lying," Augustin said. "He convinced me that he was killing those people in self-defense, that you were the evilest turtle on the face of the earth, that he'd never get his dignity back unless he fought Harebrain and the others. And for a time, I believed him."

Touché would've been offended by Augustin's earlier statement if it weren't true. "I see…"

"But then, when I saw how brutally he'd killed those people, and when I saw how _happy_ he was about killing them…" Augustin shook his head, repulsed. "By the time I saw through the lie, it was too late. My father told me that if he went down, I'd go with him. And if I tried to turn him in, he'd make sure that I'd never see the light of day."

touché suppressed a shudder at that. "You never killed anyone, did you?"

"Never. But my father would've convinced a jury."

"How horrible…what kind of a father does that to his son?" he murmured.

"So…are you going to take me in?" Augustin said. "I technically am an accessory before and after the fact. I never said anything, even after I knew what he was doing."

"You didn't kill anyone with your own two hands, Augustin. And from what I've heard…you're more of a victim than anything," he said. "He blackmailed you into not saying anything."

"Still..."

"I understand why you think I'd want put you in jail, young man," Touché said. "But I don't want to put you through the Society's punishment system. It's harsher than regular prison."

"You're sparing me?" Augustin stared at him in shock. This was no exaggeration; his jaw had literally dropped. "But…I don't-" As Touché was putting his mentor's gloves in a brown bag, he blurted, "Why? Most people would want to lock me to pay for everything my father's done."

Touché sighed and looked up at the cat, his brown eyes filled with sympathy and desperation. "We've both suffered enough today, let alone for the past decade," he said. "As angry as I am at Jean-Claude, I won't take that out on his son. I'm not that kind of person."

Augustin swallowed audibly, at a loss for words.

"Well…is there anything else of Harebrain's that your father kept?" Touché asked. He didn't want to dwell on this subject for long; it would only bring up more grief. "I'd like to take them to his daughter…"

Augustin shook himself out of his disbelieving stare and nodded shakily. "Um, yeah…from what I remember, he took something else that belonged to him from another knight. The Blue Paladin, from what I recall," he said. He paused. "Are you sure that you really-"

"I wouldn't have said that if I didn't mean it," Touché answered. "I aim to keep my word to the best of my ability. You'll have my protection, and the Society's once I talk to them."

Augustin nodded, although he still looked rather dazed. "I-I'll go and get that thing for you," he said, and disappeared into the workshop before Touché could thank him.

* * *

Touché couldn't really blame Augustin for being stunned with his choice. Sometimes, people who wanted justice for their loved ones' deaths wouldn't speak to the killer's family, or even worse, try to wreck their lives in retaliation. And he'd had his doubts about the cat, especially in the first week after his father's funeral. He'd briefly wondered if Augustin had thanked him to save face. Most sons that adored their fathers would swear to avenge their parent's death, never forgiving the killer. He felt he had enough reason to keep his guard up. These days, there was no telling what would happen.

Augustin, though, had proved more rational than his father had been. On the day of the funeral, he told him that Jean-Claude's obsession had wrecked their family, and his mother had divorced him and took his sister with her, leaving Augustin with his father; he'd been searching for them for years after all this mess. The week after Jean-Claude's death, Touché had spoken with the Society to plead with them not to arrest Augustin. Although most of them had objected due to the many deaths at Jean-Claude's hands, the case was ruled in Touché's favor. Augustin had thanked Touché for giving him a second chance, something he wished his father had taken, and Touché had wished him good luck in finding his family.

At least he'd made peace with one family. Now he had to make peace with two more-the first being his mentor's.

Touché looked down at the package in his right arm with a small frown. The gloves had been a "battle trophy" that Edith had been searching for the night of her father's death. She'd wanted to bury him with them, but they were nowhere to be found. And he'd all but forgotten about Harebrain's blue and gold scarf, which had been on the Blue Paladin's person when he'd been murdered. Edith had assumed that they'd been stolen by greedy villagers who'd hoped to make money off a dead legend.

Hopefully, with these, he'd be able to provide her with some closure. Julien already knew, but she deserved to know what'd happened most of all.

He started to walk to the door, only for it to open for him. A lady hare, possessing reddish brown fur and a full figure, stepped out with a bouquet under one arm and a basket of food in the other. She wore a bright red vest over a white shirt, with a blue denim skirt that went slightly above her knees. Her droopy yellow eyes perked up when she saw him standing there.

Touché had his hat off before she could speak. "Hi, Edith," he said.

"Touché!" She promptly dropped the basket and ran over to him. He winced as he heard glass shatter.

"E-Edith, I- _oof_!" Touché's sentence was cut off when she wrapped him up in a hug, so tight he thought he heard his shell crack. This gave him a sudden appreciation for Dum-Dum's bear hugs. "C-Could you-"

"Touché, I haven't seen you in _years_!" she cried, her voice cracking slightly at 'years'. "It's been too long!"

After ten seconds, she finally released him. Touché straightened himself. "Y-Yes, it has," he coughed out. "I wasn't expecting to be missed, honestly…and that much…"

"You're one of the few who knew my father and didn't leave the country," Edith replied. Her smile faltered slightly. "Or were murdered by the Black Knight."

"That's what I've come to talk to you about, Edith," Touché answered. "He's dead."

Edith's eyes widened. "He is?"

"Yes."

"T-This isn't a cruel joke, is it, Touché?" Edith asked. "The last few times people told me he was dead, they were trying to buy things from me…"

"I'm telling you the truth, Edith. We arranged for a duel to the death, and I killed him on the field of honor," he said. "If you don't believe me, you can ask my assistant, or Jean-Claude's son."

"Jean-Claude was the Black Knight?" She shook her head. "Impossible. I know that he started hating my father after he was dismissed, but I never…"

"It surprised me, too," Touché said. "It's a very long story, one I'll have to tell you about later." He gave her a small smile. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your day any longer…"

"I was going to visit Dad," Edith said, holding her flowers. "And then I was going for a picnic with my friends, but…" She sighed as she looked at the mess she'd made. "Looks like I'll have to redo my marmalade and tea plans."

"I see…well, I wouldn't wish to intrude," he said. "But I also wanted to give you some things of your father's that Jean-Claude stole."

"My father's things?" She looked at the package. "Which things are those?"

Touché handed it to her. "I want you to see it for yourself," he said. He lowered his gaze as she started opening it. "There's something that I managed to get for you..."

Edith reached in, and pulled out the scarf and the pair of fencing gloves. She let out a gasp, and almost immediately, her eyes filled with tears. "He had these the whole time…Mum and I wanted to bury him with his gloves," she muttered, sniffling. "A-And I remember him giving this scarf to the Blue Paladin. It was a trophy from a duel, and he gave it to him when he graduated."

"It's really lonely without him, huh?" Touché asked.

Edith nodded, her jaw trembling. "D-Did he have anything else?"

"I'm not sure. Augustin's still going through his father's battle trophy collection," Touché said. "I still can't believe that Jean-Claude would commemorate that…"

"I don't, either. But I'll be able to keep these two things. Mum's got the rest at her place," she said.

"How is she by the way?"

"Still as chipper as ever. Always talks about you and Dad whenever I see her," she replied.

"She asked about me?"

"Yeah," she answered. "She heard about your adventures and was wondering when you'd come back to see her."

"Well, in that case, I'll have to schedule a visit," he answered.

"She'd like that, I'm sure." She sighed as she looked at her father's accessories, and looked up at Touché. "Thank you for bringing these. And please, tell Augustin that I said thank you for releasing them."

"He'd planned to release them a long time ago," Touché said. "But he couldn't, due to...circumstances with his dad. He'll have to tell you. That's all I can legally say."

"Society business, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I see…" Edith looked down at Touché. "Say…how about you come with me to visit Dad?"

"As I said earlier, I wouldn't want to intrude-"

"It's been over ten years, Touché," Edith said. "I think Dad would like to hear from one of his favorite pupils. You are one of the few left."

"That's true…" Touché answered. "But I don't have any flowers to give him."

"It's alright. It's the thought and the words that count, not the gifts," she said.

"More of your father's wisdom, I see."

"I'm getting wiser with age, as Dad would've said," she replied. "Let me lock up, and clean that mess up and we'll get going."

* * *

 _A little while later…_

"Everything alright, Touché?" Edith asked, looking down at the turtle, who was wiping his eyes.

"I-I'm fine," he replied. Right then, he wished he hadn't taken off his hat; he didn't want her to see him crying. "Being here again…it's brought up a lot of memories."

Edith nodded, looking at her father's grave. It was a modest-sized headstone, with an épée etched above the inscriptions of the years of his birth and death. The rest of the epitaph was buried under the bouquets of flowers that she and Touché had placed.

"It's alright to cry, you know," she said. "You thought of him as a second father. There's no need to worry about being strong for my sake."

His hat in his hand, he looked down at his mentor's grave. "Y'know, it's been over ten years since he died…and I still haven't forgiven him for dying like that," he answered. "I don't know why he decided to fight Jean-Claude by himself and not wait for me. We could've taken him together. He would've lived a lot longer."

"You sound like my mum. She had the same feelings, you know," she said. "But you know my dad. He was reckless, even in his old age."

"True. But I can't help but be a little upset," he said. He chuckled lightly. "Then again, I haven't forgiven Nico either. Nico did something reckless to save my life, too. Jumped in front of the Black Knight's sword to keep me from being run through. He didn't have to do that. He was just a kid. He had a girlfriend and they were supposed to have a kid."

"Nico was your other sidekick, right?"

"Yeah. He was my sidekick before I met Dum-Dum," Touché answered. "He was like my little brother."

Edith's eyes widened. "Oh, how dreadful. How's his girlfriend doing, anyway?"

"Last I heard, she left the village not long after Nico's death, just like I did," he answered. "Even Julien doesn't know what happened to her."

"Poor thing…she must have been devastated…"

"She was. And so was his father," Touché replied. "I haven't gotten over it either…"

The two remained silent, just allowing the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees to fill the silence. Touché said, "Hey, Edith, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"…I'm going to tell you before I tell Dum-Dum, so I just want your full opinion on this."

"What is it? You're scaring me now," she said, turning to face him fully. Worry was in her yellow eyes.

"…How would you feel if I told you I was thinking of retirement?" Touché asked.

Her eyes went wider than dinner plates. "Retirement?"

He sat down in front of Harebrain's gravestone with a groan. "If your father were here, he'd get mad at me," he said. "Honestly, I won't blame you if you get mad, too."

"I-I'm not mad, I'm just stunned," Edith answered. She averted her gaze. "I'm too stunned to be mad, really. I never thought you'd retire, at such a young age, too."

"I never thought I would either," he answered quietly. "But we all have to eventually."

"This is about the Black Knight, isn't it?" Edith said.

"Edith, I'm one of the most popular heroes in the country, nay, the world, but…I feel like…"

"You feel like?" she urged.

Touché groaned. "I don't know…I promised Dum-Dum that we'd travel the world together for years, but…after what happened with Jean-Claude, I don't think I can do that."

"Touché…" Edith stepped forward and knelt before him, putting her paws on his shoulders. "I understand why you're upset. But I don't think it's time for you to quit."

"What makes you say that?" he asked. "I've suffered more than enough because of the Black Knight. I couldn't protect your father or his students, I couldn't protect my first assistant. A-And I almost…I-I almost lost Dum-Dum. What good is there in me still being a hero?"

"There's a load of good in you still working," Edith said firmly, and Touché looked up at her, startled. Her hardened gaze reminded him of her father, how his stern look had frightened him. "I'm not saying that you're not going to face rough seasons. Everyone's gone through it. My father went through it multiple times in his career. You know that."

Touché didn't answer, unable to speak.

"But rough seasons don't last forever. If anything, they help you grow and mature as a person. You'll look back on it and think of the good that came out of that, rather than the bad," she said. "Now, can you name the good that came out of it?"

"Well…I learned that I'm not alone like I thought I was," he said. Despite himself, a smile came on his face. "Dum-Dum reminded me of that."

"And don't forget, you have Julien, and you have me," she said. "And I have the feeling that you might gain a new ally sometime in the future."

Touché thought of Augustin, and his smile widened. "Maybe."

"So you see, something good came out of this after all," she said. "I can understand why you're feeling down. But you shouldn't give up, not when the best is yet to come."

Touché nodded, and hurriedly put his hat back on. "Thanks, Edith."

She scoffed. "You and your pride. I said you don't have to hide your tears," she said.

Touché chuckled. "Old habits die hard, you know," he said. "But I guess you're right. Facing the Black Knight gave me the chance to confront the past."

"And now, you can move on to your future," she answered. She inclined her head towards the exit. "Come on. We'll miss dessert at this rate."

"If we do, at least we'll have the whole spot to ourselves." He looked once more at Harebrain's gravestone. Despite the pang of sadness that welled up in him, he couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Sebastian," he said quietly. "I'll be back next week…hope you don't mind if Dum-Dum comes along."

"I don't think he would," Edith said, giving him a small smile. "Dad always loved visitors. And I think he would've loved your friend."

That much was true. And he would've loved hearing how his star pupil was still going around doing good deeds out of the goodness of his heart, not to feel important.

"He would've loved it if I got a girlfriend," Touché said.

"You still don't have one?"

"I haven't found her yet. But I will, eventually, before I get too old." A wry smile came on his lips. "And no, I'm not going to 'sow my wild oats' or anything like that. I still haven't forgotten how he mentioned that, you know."

Edith chuckled. "And my mother wonders where I get my sense of humor from. But if you do start doing that, I'll have to knock some sense into you. It's rude to go around loving and leaving women!"

"I know, I know," he said.

"So…what are you going to tell your friend?"

"I'd say that what he doesn't know won't hurt him…but I don't think that would be fair," Touché said. "I had to tell him my darkest secrets. I figure I owe him that much to tell him this."

* * *

 _Some time later…_

"R-Retirement?!" Dum-Dum's shout could've been heard from down below, and possibly a town over. "You can't be serious, Touché!"

Shaking his head to recover from the volume, Touché answered with, "There's no need to overreact, Dum-Dum."

"Oh…sorry," Dum-Dum answered. His face was filled with disbelief and worry. "B-But…you aren't serious, are ya?"

"I was thinking of it for the last few weeks," Touché replied. "Fighting Jean-Claude made me remember my shortcomings, and my losses. I don't know how to explain it, Dum-Dum. I felt like I was cursed. I've lost the people I'm close to."

"Well, you didn't lose me, Touché," Dum-Dum said.

"I know that, but I nearly did. My past nearly killed you."

"Is this because of that stunt I did? Or because of the Black Knight targetin' me?"

"Both, Dum-Dum. I didn't think the Black Knight would target you to get at me…but then I didn't think you'd have to do that to get me to keep going," Touché replied.

Dum-Dum's expression was remorseful. "I'm sorry, Touche. I didn't mean to worry ya. I wanted ya to finish the fight and not worry about me," he said. "But I won't do it again, since it scared ya so bad. And I-I get that you're worried, but you don't have ta be. We're pals, we look out for each other. That's how it's always been. An' if you leave, I'll go with ya. I don't wanna leave my best buddy alone."

Touché stared at him, eyes wide. "You mean that?"

Dum-Dum nodded happily. "Cross my heart an' hope to fry-I mean, fly," he recited. "When it comes to my friends, I don't leave 'em. And besides, we're best friends, Touche. We planned on workin' at this hero bit 'til we're old anyway, right?"

"Yeah, that's true." Aware of a sudden burning in his eyes, Touché lowered his hat to cover them. "…Thanks for understanding, Dum-Dum."

"Aw, shucks…it's nothin'," Dum-Dum replied bashfully. He then looked down at the turtle. "Y-Ya got somethin' in your eyes, Touché?"

"'Tis a little dust, nothing more." When he was sure the burning was gone, he looked up at Dum-Dum. "Come on. Let's grab some dinner and then we'll head to Nico's hometown. I'm starved."

"Sure, Touche. But, uh, why are we headin' to Nico's hometown?"

"I visited Harebrain earlier today," Touché answered quietly. "And I'd like to visit him, too."

"Y-You don't mind if I tag a long?"

"Nico wouldn't have. He loved visitors."

"Well, uh, alright, if ya say so, Touché!" Dum-Dum replied. He turned and started leaving the castle with a spring in his step. "There's a really good pastrami place up ahead that I wanted ta check out…"

Touché didn't leave right then, looking up at the objects that adorned his castle walls—battle trophies, medals, full suits of armor, centuries-old shields. A few weeks ago, he'd believed that he hadn't deserved them, not after what he'd done. But there was no need to think that anymore. He'd received these for a reason. And he'd keep going, keep fighting, for that same reason.

This case had brought up memories, ones that had almost consumed him. Memories that had almost ruined his career and his friendship. He'd almost lost himself to grief. He'd almost forgotten his reason for fighting once more.

"Hey, uh, Touché!" Dum-Dum shouted. He was already at the gate. "I thought ya said you were starved!"

But he'd been lucky this time. This time around, he hadn't alone…or rather, someone had refused to leave him alone. This time, a friend had not only stopped him from spiraling into despair and grief a third time, but also accepted him for who he was, past and all. He had no doubt that Dum-Dum would stick with him during the good and bad, right and wrong, no matter what he did.

He knew his pride would get in the way and keep him from saying it out loud, but he would be forever grateful to Dum-Dum for helping him through this.

Touché picked up his épée and trotted after the sheepdog. Although it was their night off, they never knew what was coming next. "Coming, Dum-Dum!"

Edith was right. Retirement could wait a while longer.

 **The End**

* * *

 ** _I'm finally finished with this story! *throws a party*_**

 ** _This chapter was kinda fun to write, tying everything together. I didn't want to make it too long, or seem like it was meandering to the point, but I think I did a pretty good job with balancing everything. I was able to properly introduce Edith here, who's going to probably appear in some more stories as a supporting character in her own right; in the original she was barely even mentioned. And I think this rewrite explains her connection to Touché a lot better._**

 ** _Touché took his fight with Jean-Claude rather hard, and he considered throwing in the towel. Given what's happened to him in the story (and in many events before the story), he has a better reason to quit than possibly even Ricochet in Blazin' Trails. The reason that he keeps fighting, even after all he's been through, is a combination of Harebrain's teachings and the gratefulness he feels towards his loved ones, the ones who fought alongside him and never left his side-and his guilt over Jean-Claude's death, almost giving in to revenge-fueled rage, and almost losing his best friend shook him pretty badly. Thankfully, both Edith and Dum-Dum were able to talk him out of giving up._**

 ** _Speaking of Dum-Dum, I haven't forgotten about that little drop in the opening scene with him and Julien. That is an important piece of information that'll come up in the sequel, but Dum-Dum, being Dum-Dum, pretty much forgot to tell Touché about it. I imagine he's going to get an earful for it later_**

 ** _I'd say more, but honestly, anything else would be kinda redundant at this point. However, I'd like to know what you guys think of the story and how things went. Constructive criticism is most appreciated!_**

 ** _Thanks for reading, and God bless,_**

 ** _iheartgod175_**


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